Found
by Merisida
Summary: Before she was a vampire slayer, Buffy was something and someone else entirely. And she's about to be thrown straight back into the world she'd long forgotten.
1. Prologue

**Found**

Before she was a vampire slayer, Buffy was something and someone else entirely. And she's about to be thrown straight back into the world she'd long forgotten.

* * *

**Prologue:**

Blinding light enveloped her...

She would have shielded her eyes from the brightness, but it was beginning to fade now.

The ground was shaking, the walls crumbling around her. She could hardly breath, her lungs taking in handfuls of dust and ash instead of the pure, clean air that it needed. Her legs wouldn't move from under her and her entire body ached to the point of it being painful. Her stomach was still bleeding from where the Turok-Han had impalled her through the back and the numerous smaller gashes were quickly adding to the blood loss.

Buffy's eyes were drawn across the room to where Spike had stood only moments ago, now all that remained was a pile of dust and a small silver amulet. Tears gushed down her face as she attempted to crawl over to it, but the pain shooting through her body was unbearable and she was forced to stop struggling.

She was all alone now. The way it should be. Everyone else had gotten away. Dawn, Faith, Xander, Willow, Giles. She hoped they were all right and that they would find the strength to move on, especially Dawn.

Faith would have to be strong for them all now, she would have to take her place. She'd been dragged away from the school kicking and screaming but Buffy didn't care, as long as she was safe.

A loud rumbling filled the air and Buffy looked up, breathlessly watching as a long and deep crack appeared on the roof of the cavern she was currently laying in, surrounded by the dead bodies of the girls she had sworn to protect.

Clumps of earth began to fall from the ceiling, covering her in a shower of dirt and dust. And then the roof collapsed as parts of the school above fell through the ground. She watched with a fierce determination as the roof fell closer and closer, threatening to squash her at any second.

A second until she would be free again...

And then there was nothing.

It was a brilliantly sunny day as Harry walked out from the school and into the open. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him down by the lake so that they could finish their homework sitting under a tree, out in the fresh air instead of cooped up in the common room.

He sped to their side as soon as he saw them and grinned at the scene in front of him. Hermione had three books open in front of her while she scribbled away on a notepad. Ron had apparently long forgotten his homework and was laying back watching the clouds in the sky with a satisfied smirk on his face. Harry knew that his friend was all too happy Hermione was too busy to tell him off for not doing his homework.

"Hey, how's the homework going?" He asked as he neared, watching as Ron's face faltered, expecting an outburst from Hermione.

The girl only replied sweetly though, "Oh mines going fine, Harry. I'm almost done." And then finally she turned her eyes up to Ron and gave him a disappointed look, "But someone hasn't been doing much at all."

Harry laughed at Ron's hurt expression as he took a seat beside them. He didnt really feel much like doing homework either. It was far too nice out for that.

As Hermione stuck her nose back in her book and Ron slumped back down to watch the clouds, Harry felt his gaze wander across the grounds. There were lots of students here. Some of them were doing work and others were running around or sitting with their feet in the lake. It really was a beautiful day.

A loud pop sounded through the air and all three turned their attention to the middle of the grass. Much to everyone's amazement, there in the grass stood a woman who had not been there moments before. Her long blonde hair shone in the sunlight but her white shirt was covered in blood and dirt, her entire body was covered in marks and gashes. The laughter of the students died instantly, gasps and whispers filling the area instead.

"No way."

"How did she do that?"

"You can't apparate into Hogwarts."

Harry was transfixed upon her form, she looked so familiar... And yet he was sure that he had never once met her before. The woman looked out over the lake, her lips turning up ever so slightly into a smile, before her legs gave way underneath her and her body fell to the ground in a heap. No one dared to move.

The doors to the school opened so suddenly that Harry jumped backwards. Professor Dumbledore rushed into the area, his strides quickly taking him to the woman's side. He knelt beside her in the grass blocking the student's views, all the while muttering under his breath. Harry noted that he didn't seem all that surprised or worried at the newcomers sudden appearance.

Professor Mcgonagal appeared at his side just as quickly and the two spoke slowly and carefully before a stretcher appeared magically from thin air and the woman was lifted onto it. The stretcher followed Dumbledore back into the school and the doors closed behind them with a loud, echoing bang.

"Nothing to see here," Professor Mcgonagal said with a strict tone in her voice, "Get back to your work." With that she shuffled away and the students were left to chatter among themselves about the sudden appearance of the strange woman.


	2. Reunion

**Found**

Before she was a vampire slayer, Buffy was something and someone else entirely. And she's about to be thrown straight back into the world she'd long forgotten.

* * *

**1. Reunion**

Grading papers was never a fun job, but it came with being a professor, so Remus had made sure to spend his free afternoon to mark the pile of parchment which had been growing on his desk for a couple of days now.

He sat down at the desk and pulled out a quill before taking the first peice of parchment from the pile. He had barely read the first sentence when there was a soft knock at the door and his head lifted to see the headmaster, professor Dumbledore, standing in the doorway.

"Professor?"

Dumbledore waved away his silent question with a chuckle, "I've told you before, Remus, call me Albus. I'm no longer your teacher."

"Very well, Albus. Is there something wrong?" He replied quickly.

Dumbledore shook his head, "Oh no, nothing to concern yourself with. I was just hoping that you would pay a visit to the infirmary, there is someone there who I dare say would be delighted to see you."

"Pro- Uh Albus, is there something wrong with Harry?" He was instantly on his feet, the very thought of Harry being in some kind of trouble was enough to set him on edge.

"No, no. Nothing like that." Dumbledore gave him a smile and walked from the room looking rather pleased with himself. His head now full with confused thoughts of the many ways Harry could wind up in trouble, Remus Lupin cleared away the papers and set his things aside before making his way through the castle and up to the infirmary.

Questions lined his mind the entire way there. Is it Harry? Or some kind of news about Sirius? Or perhaps it was something to do with his condition...

He stepped into the medical ward and looked around. Only three of the beds were occupied. In the one closest to the door was a fourth year Ravenclaw girl who was fast asleep, although her face was tinted with a slight green colour.

Next to her was a boy who Remus recognised as a player from the Hufflepuff Quiditch team, he had his leg bandaged and was groaning as Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, was handing him a mug of medicine.

His eyes were drawn over to the last person, who was laying on the bed in the furthest corner of the room and his breath hitched in his throat.

No... It couldn't be...

His legs wobbled as he raced to her bedside, his eyes roaming over her face and his mouth hanging open in surprise. He had given up looking for her years ago, he had thought her dead. And yet here she was, fast asleep right in front of him.

He lifted a hand and his fingers gingerly pressed against the skin on her cheeks, as if to make sure she was really there, not just a ghost or a figment of his imagination. His fingers curled in her hair, still the bright blonde shade he remembered, the same as their mothers. Her face was exactly the same, only older, wiser. She was no longer the fithteen year old girl who had tugged on his arms and ruffled his hair. She was an adult now.

He took in her worn and battered appearence, his eyes burning with tears. If he had searched longer, harder... Would he have had her back sooner? Was it his fault she had been away for so long?

Where had she been all this time? His little sister.

His fingers brushed against her again, to assure himself that she was still there. And then he held his breath as her whole body twitched, and then her eyes flew open. He stared into her deep green eyes, but they were not the carefree green that he had known as a child. These eyes were full with knowledge, power and sadness. He had seen the same look in the mirror countless times.

"Bell?" His whispered voice was barely audiable, but he knew she had heard him. She blinked once, looking him directly in the eyes before her mouth opened ever so slightly.

"Remmy?" His heart clenched at the flood of memories that came with that one word, but he shut them out just as quickly, a cry echoing from his mouth as he threw himself at her, desperatley pulling her into his arms.

"Oh Bell! I never thought I'd see you again."

She winced at the slight pain that wracked her body but ignored it, content to stay in his familiar embrace. "I've been gone a long time, haven't I?" She said, finally slipping away and sitting up in the bed with his help. With a wave of his wand, a chair appeared at her side and he took a seat, his hand clamped around her own, afraid to let go.

"Fifteenth years." Came his quick answer, he had been counting since her mysterious disappearance all those long years ago. Back when life had been so much simpler, so much happier.

"Fifteenth? But I..." She trailed off, and then her eyes met his again. "But I remember being with you as a teenager, and I only woke up after my coma eight years ago... There's no way I could have just lost seven years of my life!"

He shook his head, "No, Bell. It's 1993. You disappeared in 1978."

"It's Buffy."

"Hm?"

"My name. I left Isabella behind a long time ago, it's Buffy now."

He nodded slowly in understanding. She may have been born as Isabella Lupin but she had left that life behind her. "Where have you been all this time, uh Buffy?"

"Sunnydale, California." She looked away, a thoughtful look on her face. "But if you're right, and it's really been fifteenth years... Then perhaps I was in another world, another dimension. With everything that I've seen, that has to be possible."

"What happened? Do you know why you went there..?" He asked, treading carefully. He was desperate for answers but he didn't want to overwhelm her with questions.

"It was my destiny." She said, her voice emotionless. "I always knew there was something missing in my life. I awoke in Los Angeles one day, with no memories, no idea where I was or who I was. I began life as Buffy Summers, with no thought to anything that I was leaving behind. And then I met him, Merrick. He told me about my destiny... He told me I was a vampire Slayer.""

Remus gasped, a vampire slayer? His sister? He kept quiet, but he was itching to ask for more. He waited for her to continue. "We moved to Sunnydale a year later, me and my 'parents', I mean. There was a lot of fighting, a lot of trouble... I won't go into it all, but I couldn't remember anything of this world. There was odd moments when I felt something was wrong, but I had no reason to believe I didn't belong there. I don't know why I came back here, maybe my destiny is complete now?"

"Perhaps... Still you must have gone through a lot as a Slayer." He had always been fascinated by the myths of vampires and Slayers, but here in this world they were just that, myths. Or so he had always believed. And now his little sister was one? A hunter of demons and monsters... What did that mean for him?

She smiled at him, instantly knowing what he was thinking. "Don't worry, I've always made friends with werewolves." He smiled as her hand reached up to cup his cheek. "Have you been looking after yourself, Remus? You look tired..."

He smiled down at her, feeling as though he was stuck in between a dream and the waking world. "It's a couple of days after the full moon."

"Ooh, right." She dropped her hand and then seemed to notice just then where she actually was. "Wait, is this Hogwarts? Aren't you a bit too old to be studying here still?"

He chuckled, "I'm a professor now. I teach Defence Against the Dark Arts."

She grinned up at him, "Always the bookworm, you." And the pair of them laughed together for a while, just happy being in each others company after so long. "So where is everyone else? I can't wait to see them all again! What are they all up to now?"

He flinched at her question, knowing exactly who she was talking about. How would he explain this to her?

"... Bell- Uh I mean, Buffy," He gave her a small, and sad smile while patting her hand. "I suppose a lot has happened since you left. And it's not all good news." Her expression darkened, but it clearly read 'tell me'. So he did. "Lily and James got married, a few years after school ended and they had a son, Harry."

"That's wonderful, Remus! I always knew those two would get together at some time."

He felt oddly guilty, he would have to destroy the happiness she was feeling. "They're gone now, Lily and James. Murdered... Peter too." He couldn't look her in the eyes, so he kept his gaze on the strands of the blanket that was covering her. "Sirius had been in Azkaban for twelve years... Although he's on the run now. That's partly why I'm here, to look out for Harry. Professor Dumbldore thinks Sirius may be after him."

"What? But Sirius would never... Why would he be after their son?"

Remus sighed, "It was his fault they were killed, Buffy. He gave away their location and then murdered Peter and a group of muggles. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

"I don't believe it..." She said, her voice close to breaking, tears shinning in her eyes. "How did everything go so wrong?"

He had no answer for that question, but reached out to pull her form into his arms once more. "I'm glad you're back, Buffy."


	3. Starting Over

**Found**

**Disclaimer:** Btvs and Hp belong to their respective owners and not me :). I'm not making any profit from this fic.

**2. Starting Over**

She was beginning to tire of being trapped in that damn hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't allow her to get up and walk around for more than ten minutes before she was forced back into bed with some foul tasting medicine.

Her wound had healed completely as soon as she had stepped, or rather found herself, back in Hogwarts and a good potion or two had stopped her aches and pains so she felt perfectly fine.

Remus came by to see her every few hours and they spent their time chatting, talking about everything that had happened to the both of them during their time apart. She had told him everything about her life as a slayer, about every battle and how she had coped through it all. In turn he told her everything that had happened to him, from his last year at school up to Voldermort's reign of power and the separation of their group of friends.

But Remus had been forced to leave repeatedly in order to teach his students and Buffy was once again all alone in the hospital wing.

The moments when she was left to herself were the worst, with constant thoughts running through her mind that would not leave her alone no matter how much she wished.

Hearing about her old friends and everything that had happened to them had affected her more than she had hoped. Her first feelings of disbelief had turned into all out hatred for the man she had once called a friend, the man who betrayed everyone she had ever loved. And from that hatred she felt guilt, because a part of her felt responsible. What if she had never left her home? Would James, Lily and Peter still be gone? Would Sirius be a wanted criminal?

Would anything have changed if she had been there?

And if she hadn't left and gone to Sunnydale, what would have happened to her friends back there? To Willow, Xander and Giles. She hoped they were getting on all right without her.

She was buried too deep in her own thoughts to notice the approaching figure of her old headmaster as he took the unoccupied seat beside her bed. As he sat, with a grim smile on his face, the chair squeaked against the floor and her attention snapped up to the old wizard instantly, her fingers quickly releasing the bedsheets that had been crumpled up in her fist.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"Welcome back to Hogwarts, Miss Summers. How are you feeling?"

She smiled as much as she could, given her previous thoughts. "I feel fine, thank you."

He nodded, his eyes searching hers. "It must have been quiet a shock to find yourself back here, and to hear of everything that has happened."

"It was, yes." She deliberately averted her eyes, not wanting to look at him right now or he might see the anger bubbling behind her mask.

She almost flinched as his hand fell on her shoulder, "Much has happened, yes. But it will do you no good to dwell on it, what has happened has happened and there's nothing any of us can do to change that. What we need to do is simply to carry on." He gave her a smile and she nodded, knowing that he was right. There was nothing she could do about it now, and as painful as it was, she had to try and forget. She had just come home after all, she had a lot of catching up to do.

"I would like to offer you a place to stay here at Hogwarts. While Remus is living here I doubt you would have anywhere else to go for the moment. So feel free to stay here as long as you need."

"Thank you."

Before he could reply her brother entered once again, looking a little tired from his constant trips up to the hospital wing.

"Ah, while I have the both of you in one place, I would just like to ask a couple of questions, if you do not mind?" Dumbledore said from his place. The two siblings nodded and Buffy moved over in her bed so that Remus could perch on the end without sitting on her.

The headmaster turned to Buffy, "I assume you know the current situation regarding slayers?"

"If you mean that I'm now regarded as a mythical creature then yes. I remember learning about slayers back at school now." Remus nodded to her assessment, he knew as well as she did that if word of what she was got out, she would be branded a beast as much as he would be.

"Yes, so it is imperative that we keep your status a secret. No one but the three of us may know." The headmaster continued. "Now that we have that cleared up, do you know why you vanished into thin air all those years ago, Buffy?"

She sighed, "All I know is that I had a destiny to fulfil. Since I've come back here now, I'm guessing I've done what was needed."

The three of them sat in silence for a moment until Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak again. "Oh, but I believe there's more to it than that." At their raised eyebrows and impatient looks he sighed. "This explanation will take some time, I'm afraid. For years now the ministry has been keeping a close eye on the line of slayers. For the most part they have been young muggle girls and because they had no real power before their calling they have been ignored and allowed to do as their destiny dictates."

"You mean the ministry has always known that slayers are real?"

"Yes, of course."

"But why would they let the whole magical community believe that they were just myths if they knew they really existed?" Remus asked in confusion.

"It was not always so. You see, many years ago slayers were well known and respected for their power in the magical community. But then a girl, a witch was called. Unfortunately the amount of power she had scared people, they cast her out and labelled her a danger to everyone who crossed her path. She became maddened and began practising dark magic, working with dark wizards and causing a lot of pain and death, especially for the ministry."

"Let me guess, they realised she was a danger too late and tried to stop her?" Buffy said, knowing exactly where this story was heading.

"Yes, they killed her. And from that moment on the ministry made a point to watch over the slayer line, so that any potential who was born as a witch, would be stopped before their calling."

They sat in silence for a moment, just taking in his words. "So what you're saying, is that if I hadn't vanished when I did, the ministry would have had me killed anyway?"

"That is my belief, yes. The fact that you disappeared means that your life was saved."

"But I don't get why they would do that, the Powers I mean..."

"The Powers?"

"Yeah, it's always do to with them. Why would they have sent me away- Wait..." She sat up straight in her bed, before yelling out loud enough to make both her companions cover their ears. "Whistler! Get your ass down here now! I know you had something to do with this and I want answers!"

Dumbledore and Remus let their hands down, looking to the slayer as if she had lost her mind before they heard a slight popping noise and a man appeared before them. In surprise they both stood, ready to attack but the man put his hands up in surrender.

"That is exactly why I didn't want to come here, you know. Wizards tend to get jumpy around strangers that just pop into the room..." He grumbled, his gaze turning from wizard to wizard and then to a glaring Buffy. "Hey, Kid. Long time no see, right?"

"Whistler, care to explain any of this? Like, now?"

He held up his hands again, as if that simple motion would calm the slayer down. "All right, all right, don't shoot the messenger. Look I had nothing to do with the guys upstairs moving you around. But I know why they did. They sent you back here as a reward, you completed your destiny and defeated the first evil, that's what your destiny was."

Her voice turned softer, "And why did they take me away from here in the first place? I was happy here... even if it is true about the Ministry, I was happy."

"I thought you would have worked that out by now. Your life was in danger, they knew if you died you would never fulfil your destiny, there was no one else who could. They saw the perfect opportunity when both the slayer from this world and the slayer from the other world died literally within minutes of one another. So they moved you over before another girl could be called, unknowingly ending the line here, but making sure it continued back on the other universe, the universe that really needed a slayer."

"You mean there are no more slayers in this world?"

"No, not since you left. You are the only one now."

"And the ministry never noticed that?"

"No, they can only watch over witch-born slayers, not muggles. For all they know, the slayers are still out there, just working in secrecy. When you disappeared from their radar they would have assumed that you had already died."

"Yes, I remember that." Remus said with a thoughtful look, "I remember a couple of ministry officials coming to Hogwarts just the day after you vanished. They were asking all sorts of questions, but of course you had gone and there was no trace of you. They must have given up looking."

Whistler nodded, "Yes, so if you want to live in this world again, you'll have to leave the name Isabella Lupin behind."

"Yes, I've got that." She said, her mind reeling. So not only would she be hunted and possibly killed if anyone found out who or what she was, she was also the last living slayer.

"That's all I can tell you, kid. Don't waste this opportunity that they've given you, right?"

She had barely looked up to him when he vanished with another loud pop. With a sigh she let her body slump back into the bed.

Dumbledore stood from his seat and brushed his robes down, "I will give you some time to think this over. I will be up in my office if you ever want to speak with me about anything, I trust you will remember the way there." He said with a wink.

As soon as Madam Pomfrey had allowed her to leave, Buffy had practically run out from the infirmary. She had slowed down to take in the sights around her as she walked through the castle, and surprisingly she found it quite easy to remember her way considering it had been so long since she had last been there.

The hallways were empty as she walked, so she guessed the students were still in their classes. She entered the main hall and stared at the bright blue sky above her, exactly as she had remembered it. The staff table still sat at the very front, and the four house tables each with their own banners floating above.

Despite herself she found a grin plastered on her face, the many happy memories suddenly coming back to her, and then she remembered what had happened to everyone in those memories. Her grin quickly turned into a frown as she neared the Gryffindor table, where they had always sat together, every day.

A heavy hand was suddenly on her shoulder, and Buffy spun around instinctively ready to take on her attacker. But she stopped short at the person in front of her.

"Isabella."

She found herself looking up at a familiar face that she hadn't seen in many years. A face that she had never quite been able to read as a teenager.

"Severus." She smiled up at him, he hadn't changed much at all, he still had his long black hair and that same unhappy look that she had seen a thousand times.

"I didn't think I would ever see you again. I'm glad you've found your way back home." His words were genuine enough, but she couldn't help but notice how his voice was strained as if he didn't want to be seen around her.

"How have you been, Severus?"

The look he gave her was answer enough before he walked away, his robes flapping behind him.

"Huh?" She watched him walk away knowing that she would have to speak with him again. Back when they had been students themselves, they'd had a strange friendship, if it could even be called that. But occasionally she had managed to cheer him up before, so she could now too. She would make it a personal goal of hers.

She stepped out from the main hall just as students descended from the stairs and filled the corridors. Many of them paid no attention to her as she scrambled to get out of the way, eventually finding a stone statue which she gracefully climbed and sat on, just watching the crowd of small people as they ran for their lunch.

"You can't be sitting up there!" Came an angry voice that she remembered all too well, a smile appearing on her face as she looked down at the school caretaker, Argus Filch. He was standing just below the statue, an angry scowl on his face.

She grinned as she poked her tongue out at him and waggled her legs, looking every part the innocent girl she had been all those years ago and enjoying his cries of frustration. After demanding her to get down and threatening to call the headmaster, he stormed off, muttering under his breath and Buffy let out a laugh.

"You've only been here a day and you're already upsetting Filch." Came her brothers voice and she turned, seeing him leaning against the wall not too far away.

With a grin she hopped down, her feet landing soundlessly on the tiled floor. "What can I say, I have to make up for all the time I lost, right?"

He laughed as he walked closer, "There's something I need to show you, it's back at the classroom. Come on."

She followed him to the DADA class, which surprisingly looked just as it had when she had studied there. She stopped at the desk while Remus rummaged through the drawers, finally pulling out a long, thin wooden box and handing it to her with a smile.

"Is this..?" She trailed off, her gaze fixed on the small box. She had been given one of them before in the old wand shop down in Diagon Alley. She searched his face as he nodded, and she eagerly pulled off the lid and peered inside.

The wand inside was familiar, a long piece of dark wood that had a slight twist in the middle. It was the wand that Ollivander had sold her when she had been just eleven years old.

"You kept it? All this time?" She asked incredulously, staring up at her brother.

"Of course. I kept a few things of yours but most of them were lost after a few years, but I've carried that around with me wherever I've been. I knew if I left it behind, it would be like giving up on the idea of you ever returning. So I kept it so that I could give it back to you when you did return."

She cautiously took the wand from the casing, as if afraid to break it. But as soon as she held it fully in her hand she felt it's magic winding its way through her body. It's weight felt right in her hand, despite being lighter than the stakes she was used to holding. She couldn't help but feel as though she was being reunited with a lost friend.

"Thank you, Remmy." She hugged him close to her chest before grinning and holding out the wand, pretending to be casting spells. "I can't wait to try this baby out once more!"

He laughed at her over exaggerated moves, ducking when she almost smacked him round the face. "I think you need some practice first, Buffy. Come on, we should go get something to eat before there's nothing left." She pouted but put the wand down, sticking it into her pocket where she would have easy access to it.

She nodded, her stomach already groaning and the pair made their way into the hall and up to the staff table where an extra chair had been placed besides Remus'. She sat down and was quickly introduced to the rest of the staff.

After they had filled their stomachs with food Remus told Buffy he had a class, and eager to see what he was teaching she bugged him until he gave up and said she could sit in to watch. She helped him set up the classroom and spent the rest of her time reading through a couple of old musty books until finally the bell rang and the students began filing in.

"Hello everyone, come in and sit down." Remus said, ignoring Buffy who was sitting in his chair, her legs propped up on the desk while reading. "First of all, I would like to introduce you all to Buffy Summers," He gestured behind him and she sat up straighter at her name being called out. "She'll be watching in on some of our lessons."

The class murmured to themselves until he continued.

"Today we are going to be learning about-" He stopped short, noticing how half the class were paying more attention to his sister than to him. He cleared his throat which got most students back to focusing on himself. "If you are all ready to start working then I shall continue." He felt like glaring at his sister but she wasn't doing anything on purpose.

He pulled a cover off a small tank which held a grindylow. The class switched their attention again, this time to the creature swimming around.

"Can anyone tell me what this is?"

Buffy looked up at the class, noticing the hand that shot up instantly at the question.

"Yes, Miss Granger."

"It's a Grindylow. A water demon." The brunette girl answered, a satisfied smile on her face when Remus nodded and congratulated her for her knowledge.

"Yes, Grindylow's are water demons, they are not usually very dangerous but have been known to take a fancy to human flesh, so I wouldn't get too close if I were you." He reached back and grabbed the book from his sisters hands, ignoring her cry of surprise, "If you turn to page thirty seven in your books, you will find..."

Buffy drowned out his voice as he spoke, her mind wandering over the students. Most of them were now flicking through their text books or groaning at the work Remus was setting them. She chuckled to herself as she remembered her own lessons, how boring they had been and how she had spent the majority of her time messing around with her friends.

As Remus came back over to the desk her eyes spotted something... Or someone.

The boy sitting across the room was so familiar. He had black hair, messed up and sticking in every way it possibly could. As if sensing that he was being watched, the boy looked up slightly and their eyes met across the classroom. He had deep green eyes, the same shade as an old friend of hers.

She didn't pull her gaze away as she motioned for her brother to come closer, "That boy... He looks just like-"

"James? Yes, that's Harry. Their son."

"Wow..."

He nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. It had taken him a while to get used to it as well. Half of him knew that this boy was not James, and yet he couldn't help but compare the two at every moment.

Harry was staring back at her with a frown, as if he too was trying to place her in his mind. With a small shake of his head he let he gaze fall back to his work. Buffy sighed as she watched, "We can't let anything happen to him, Remus."

He nodded his agreement. The pair of them making a silent vow to make sure that they looked after Harry, the way they hadn't been able to for James.

* * *

Thank you to everyone reading this, I hope you're enjoying it so far :)

Meri x


	4. The Boggart

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

**A/N:** Thanks again to everyone reading this fic, and extra special thanks to everyone who reviewed :). I'm sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I will make up for it with later chapters.

3. The Boggart

Harry sighed happily as he woke to the sight of the sun pouring in through the window, the sound of birds chirping outside, the shuffle of his friends as they moved around in their sleep.

He groggily leaned forward to grab up his glasses before climbing out from his bed. He looked around the room, Ron was still snoring from the bed next to his, Neville was sleeping soundlessly and Dean and Seamus were not in their beds, so had probably already gone down to the common room.

Knowing he had at least half an hour before Ron would wake up, he reached down under his bed and pulled up the small book that he kept there. He liked to look at it when he had moments to himself, just to see them again. He flipped open the book and stared down at the moving photograph of his parents as they hugged and danced together, looking very happy and carefree.

He turned the pages one by one, watching as his mother and father, and occasionally his parents and grandparents moved around on the paper. He was so engrossed in the images that he startled when Ron let out a rather loud snore, before turning over in his bed and falling straight back to sleep again.

Letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, Harry flipped to the next page and stopped, looking down at the image. It was one he had seen many times before, but he had never really taken much interest in it before.

It had been taken at Hogwarts, just outside the castle. He knew because he passed that same spot almost every day. His parents were there in the photo, just teenagers in their school uniforms. They were surrounded by other students, their friends, and Harry had never paid much attention to the other pupils before.

Now though, he found his eyes concentrating on the small blonde girl who sat in between his mother and one of the boys. The girl with the brightest smile of all of them, with green eyes and a very familiar face.

He could barely believe what he was seeing. The girl in the picture looked exactly like a younger version of the woman who had been in his DADA class just the day before...

* * *

Buffy had been nervous when Remus asked her to help him in his classes for the day, but as soon as the students began pouring into the room she knew she would enjoy it. DADA had always been her own favourite subject back at school after all.

The first class of the day was with some fifth year students who were revising for their coming exams. Buffy had hung back at first, thinking that she would have no idea what they were learning about, since she had never actually completed her own fifth year at school, but found herself pleasantly surprised when she had been able to walk around the class and help many of the students.

She may not have finished school or gained any qualifications in her home world, but her experiences back at Sunnydale were enough to give her the information she needed. She'd even caught herself telling a couple of students stories about her past experiences with certain monsters.

She let out a deep breath as she finally sat down at the front desk once the students had all cleared out from the room. Remus smiled down at her, "Harder than it looks, isn't it?"

She nodded, "Sure, but it was kinda fun."

He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly and she caught his mischievous look. "I'm sorry, did you just say that education was fun? You, the girl who hated learning and wanted nothing more than to mess around and play pranks."

She laughed but nodded, "Yeah. I mean this is all so strange to me. I've never been a fan of doing work, not even while I was in Sunnydale, but seeing all these kids revising for their exams and being carefree and happy... I guess I just kinda miss it. Plus, you know, I never actually finished school and it's not like I'll ever get a job in this world now."

"You never know, I'm sure there's something you could do. You always liked the idea of being an Auror." He replied while shuffling some papers on the desk.

"Yes but you need qualifications for that, Remmy. You have to be smart too."

"You are smart, and what you lack in qualifications you more than make up for with experience. You being the Slayer would come in handy for that profession."

"I suppose so, but I doubt many people would be too happy having a slayer working for them. You know they would class me as a beast as much as they do you."

He nodded, he would never be happy that his sister had to keep what she was a secret from everyone. It reminded him too much of his own situation.

Their conversation was cut off as the clock above them struck, telling them that the next lesson would be starting soon.

He stood up straight and looked to his sister. "This is the third year class. I'm going to do the class down the hall in the staff room. Do you think you can get them ready while I go set everything up?" At her nod he continued, "You can bring them down in about five minutes, I'll have it all set up by then."

He left the room just as the first group of students arrived and Buffy smiled nervously as she realised it was Harry and his two friends.

Once all the students had arrived, she stood from her seat and cleared her throat to get them to stop chatting. "Hello everyone, you can put your books away, you won't need them today. You're having a practical lesson." She stayed quiet while the students got their things ready, whispering amongst themselves as they did. "All right, everyone ready?"

She waited for them all to rise before she led them out from the classroom. They all followed her as she tried to remember her way, eventually finding the door they were after.

She pushed open the door and held it for the students as they entered, before following in after. One look around the room told her that it had hardly changed since her childhood, back when she had been sent there for detentions.

She noticed that Remus had set a large wardrobe in the middle of the room and he stood right next to it as he ushered the students closer. Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted Severus sitting in the shadows, looking slightly annoyed at having his break interrupted.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Remus said, watching as Severus stood and made his way over to them.

"Don't bother, _Summers_." He said as she was about to close the door behind her. She narrowed her eyes at him at the way he had emphasised her name. Obviously Dumbledore had told him not to mention her real one. I'm not staying here to watch this.

He stopped suddenly to turn to Remus, "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to trust him with anything too difficult."

Buffy frowned at Severus' back, watching as the boy named Neville turned bright red. She knew he could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but putting the boy down in front of his entire class was not something she would have expected from him.

Her brother only smiled down at Neville, "Actually I was hoping Neville would help me with the first part of our exercise. And I'm sure he will perform it admirably."

Severus let out a kind of growl before spinning around, almost right into Buffy who took a step back to avoid him. She sent him her glare in full force but he paid no attention to her, simply stalking out from the room.

"Wow, what an ass."

She hadn't realised she had said her thoughts out loud until the entire class had gone silent around her. The kids were staring at her, half in awe and half with giant bug eyes.

"Thank you, Buffy. Can I carry on with the lesson now?" Remus asked, although he was doing a poor job of hiding his own laughter.

She nodded, "Right, sorry." And made a motion with her hands to zip her mouth shut.

"Neville, over here, please." He directed the boy to stand next to the wardrobe and for the class to shuffle closer.

A loud bang made them all jump and the wardrobe began shaking as if there was something trapped inside, something trying to escape.

"It's nothing to worry about." Remus told the nervous class. "There is a Boggart in here."

Buffy took a seat at the chairs as she listened to the class discuss what a Boggart was and how to stop it. She remembered learning all about them herself back at school. She had never had to deal with one before though and she didn't really want to. She didn't want to think on what the Boggart would turn into if she stepped into its path.

When she brought herself back to the lesson the students were all brandishing their wands, readying themselves for the creature that was about to be unleashed on them.

Neville was standing up at the front, looking nervous, his wand arm shaking quite noticeably.

The doors to the wardrobe swung open and the boggart appeared, in the shape of Professor Snape. He was tall and menacing and Neville almost stumbled as he fought the instinct to run.

Buffy stood from her seat, she didn't like seeing anyone in danger but Neville would be soon if he didn't do anything. She was just readying herself to go over and move him away when he yelled out his spell.

"Riddikulus!"

The creature instantly wobbled as it was forced into Neville's grandmothers clothes. A big hat and a red bag that had everyone laughing at the sight.

Neville ran to the back of the class, quite pleased with himself and the Boggart turned to the next student.

One by one it turned into the thing they feared the most, before they would force it to turn into something comical. Every time the class let out a roar of laughter, and suddenly they found that the boggart wasn't quite as scary as they had first imagined.

Buffy watched anxiously as it came to Harry's turn. But it never came, as Remus stepped up in front of the boy. The boggart took on the unmistakable shape of the moon, and with a cry of the spell the moon turned into a balloon which shot across the room. With another flick of his wand, the boggart had disappeared back into the wardrobe.

"Well I think that's enough for today's lesson." He announced, turning to the class with a forced smile. "I would like you all to research into the boggart and summarise it for me for your homework. To be handed in on Monday."

The class groaned at being given homework but began scattering around the room to collect their things. Eventually Buffy and Remus were left alone again.

"Why did you step in? I think he would have been able to handle it." She said as she helped him push the wardrobe back into its place.

"I have no doubt he would have, Buffy. But I couldn't let Voldemort come out of that wardrobe even if it was a fake version. Who knows what could have happened."

She nodded in understanding, "So to lunch then?"


	5. The Attack

**Found**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own either Btvs or HP, they belong to their respective owners and not me. Also I'm not making any profit from this story :). Thank you so much to my readers and reviewers.

**4. The attack**

After they had finished eating the siblings split up so that Remus could go to his next lesson and Buffy could head to Dumbledoor's office. Just as he had told her, she remembered the way easily and soon found herself standing by the statue which led up to the office.

She had no idea what the password was so found herself standing there yelling out random words until Professor McGonagall came over.

"If you keep that up you will be standing there for a long time, my dear."

She turned and smiled at her old teacher, "I don't know the password..."

The older witch smiled back, "It's Lemon drops." As if in answer the statue began to swing around, revealing a staircase.

"Thanks." She wasted no time and raced up the steps, knocking on the door at the top until she was told to enter.

"Ah, Miss Summers. What can I do for you?" Dumbledore was sitting at his desk surrounded with odd pieces of equipment and bits of parchment.

"I just wanted to speak to you about a couple of things." She took a seat, feeling a bit nervous. The last time she had been in this office she had been in trouble.

"I'm just wondering if you would give me permission to go into the Forbidden Forest. I know it's forbidden for a reason and all that, but I can more than look after myself. It's just I'm supposed the be the slayer, and right now I feel like I-"

"Can't be yourself? Of course I understand, Buffy. You were not meant to be locked up."

"So can I patrol the forest then?"

He nodded, "But I must ask that you be cautious. There are many creatures in those forests that do not like to be interrupted."

She nodded eagerly, her body itching for a chance to fight. It had only been a couple of days, but she could feel the slayer inside her trying to get free already.

"The other thing was-"

Her words were interrupted as a young boy charged into the office without warning. Buffy's eyes spotted the badge on the front of his robes as he spluttered out something about a portrait being attacked.

Professor Dumbledore raised from his seat and gestured for the boy to lead him and Buffy to the sight.

It took mere moments before they were walking up the steps towards the Gryffindor common rooms, where a large crowd of students had gathered.

"Out of the way!" The head boy shouted and the students moved to carve a path for the three of them.

"What happened?" Buffy asked as they stopped in front of the portrait, which was now shredded into pieces.

No one seemed to know what had really happened until Argus Filch called them over to another painting where the fat woman, who was usually in the portrait hole, had moved to.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked softly, as he took in her bedraggled appearance.

The woman's eyes were shinning with tears, "He was here, he was! I saw it all!"

"Who was here?" Dumbledore asked, noticing that everyone was hanging onto his words.

"Sirius Black!" The woman screamed his name out with such fear in her tone that Buffy took a step back, her thoughts going crazy. The crowded hall immediately erupted into a frenzy, with the students yelling and panicked teachers trying, and failing, to usher said students out of the way.

All Buffy could do was stand still, her feet completely frozen in their place. She barely registered that Dumbledore was standing in front of her, one hand on her shoulder as if to steady her. He was saying something but she couldn't hear his words...

Her eyes drifted from the headmaster who was still trying to talk to her, no doubt asking if she was okay, to the wide eyes of one Harry Potter who just happened to be in the crowd of students. She couldn't bare to look into his green eyes any longer, so she shook her head to Dumbledore and rushed off, intent on finding an answer to her silent question.

_How did he get in here?_

* * *

That night the students were all told to sleep in the great hall where the teachers could overlook them and keep watch. Of course Buffy knew better than that, they were there to keep Harry safe, because they all knew it was really him that Sirius was trying to find.

As soon as the students had settled in and the lights had been extinguished, she made her way over to where Professor Dumbledore and Remus were waiting, their eyes scanning over the many students who were laying on the ground.

She kept her voice low, in case any of the kids were still awake. "I'm going to look around outside." She gave them both a significant look to make them understand that she was heading into the forest, and they both nodded.

As she moved away her brother caught her arm and pulled her just outside the entrance of the hall, so that no one could listen in. "Buffy, are you all right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She said, avoiding his gaze. She desperately wanted to go.

His hands grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look straight into his eyes, "I know you, Buffy. I know when something's bothering you. And I don't even need to guess what it is..."

She let out a sigh, "Alright, alright. So maybe this is bothering me, but it doesn't matter."

"You shouldn't let him get to you. He's not that same person anymore."

She threw up her arms in frustration. "Yes, I know that... It's just hard. I remember him being such a sweet and caring person, sure he could be cruel when he wanted but I just don't see how he could have become this. How he could have done all those things."

He nodded along, looking much older than he actually was. And she suddenly felt very selfish for bringing all of this up when he had already been through it all once before.

"I understand how you feel, Buffy. Trust me on that. But it's all true, there is no other explanation for everything that has happened. He is not that person anymore, the fact that he is here, searching for Harry, should be enough to tell you that."

"I know, and I'm sorry." She let her eyes wander down the hall once again before back to her brother. "I have to go, Remmy. If there's one thing I've told myself that I am going to do, its protect Harry. And if _he's_ still out there right now, then I'm going to find him and stop him."

Before he could protest she had run off to her room. She quickly changed into something more comfortable and slipped on a long leather jacket. She dropped her wand in her front pocket and rushed off to the forest.

It was a cold night, but she kept moving to keep warm. She had been in the forest before, but back then she had just been a curious child who was unaware of the dangers around her. Now she knew exactly what she was walking straight into.

The forests ran out over the grounds for miles and miles, and if there was anywhere that Sirius would hide, it would be in there. He would have the cover of darkness, and would probably know his way around better than she ever would.

She walked on for about twenty minutes without seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary when suddenly something stood out to her. She couldn't see the barrier, but her senses were telling her it was there. As she stepped forward she had a strange sensation wash over her body, almost as if she had stepped through a waterfall. On the other side, she realised that she had just stepped through the protective barriers that guarded the castle. From now on, she wouldn't be safe from any outsiders.

Almost instantly, she spotted something on a nearby tree. As she neared it she knelt, letting her fingers touch the rough bark where it had been sliced. The cuts in the tree were the same as the ones they had found back on the portrait. It was definitely the work of Sirius, which meant that he had been able to get back through the barrier with no problems too.

She stood as the trees rustled in the wind, her eyes scanning the pathway that was in front of her, it went deeper into the woods. As she continued on she felt her spider senses tingling ever so slightly, the feeling growing stronger with every step she took. She knew what the feeling meant, so at the first chance she had she grabbed up a loose branch and snapped it in half to make a stake.

"Would you look at that, someone ordered take away."

She grinned as she walked into a wide clearing, standing opposite from the pair of vampires that she had been sensing. "Yes, well don't bite off more than you can chew."

They almost looked confused at her words, they had obviously been waiting for her to get scared and run away. They'd be waiting a long time for that to happen.

The other vampire frowned, and she got the distinct impression that this was the smarter of the two. "Who are you? You're not one of those kids... Are you a teacher?"

She laughed, outstretching her arms, "Well if you must know, you can call me the Slayer." She watched their faces turn to anger, their masks slipping, fangs showing.

The smarter one backed up slightly, "You ain't no ordinary Slayer. I can smell the magic on you."

"Oh, but by the time we're finished here you won't be in any condition to tell on me."

She grinned as she pulled out her make-shift stake and lunged forward, launching into a spinning kick that knocked one vampire to the ground and had the other stumbling back to avoid it. She fell to her feet and blocked the attacks they threw at her, laughing all the way as she matched their strength with every blow.

She pulled back her fist to punch one in the face, before drawing her arm back down to stake the other, which was creeping up behind her, through the chest.

The last vampire growled as they lunged forwards, their foot connecting with her wrist and knocking the stake from her grip. The branch flew across the clearing, too far away to be any help to her now.

As the vampire grinned at gaining the upper hand, she let out a sigh, pulling out her wand and pointing it at his chest. "Incendio!"

Flames burst out from her wand and attached themselves to the vampire, who began running around, screaming. Seconds later he was just a pile of ash, slowly floating away in the cold breeze.

"Well that was fun..."

A branch snapped behind her and Buffy spun, instantly ready to fight more vampires, her wand held out in front of her. She saw a figure in the distance, but they were retreating, not attacking. She sprung forward, running after them, but found no trace of anyone ever being there. It was almost as if they had vanished right out of thin air.


	6. The Half Truth

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

**A/N: **Thank you so much to everyone reading this and of course to anyone who has been reviewing.

Chapter 5: The Half Truth

After the initial panic of the attack was over, the students had been sent back to their own rooms. No one had found any trace of Sirius Black in or around the castle, something that many people were thankful for.

Things had soon gotten back to normal, with most people forgetting about the attack, they had the Hogsmeade trip to look forward to after all. Harry had not been allowed to go though, so while his friends were away he had thought of talking to Professor Lupin about a couple of things that had been bothering him.

He paused as he pushed open the door to the DADA classroom. The teacher he was looking for didn't appear to be there. The blonde woman who was frequently in their lessons was however in the room.

She looked up from her seat where she had been reading and smiled up at him and he knew he couldn't very well leave now that she had seen him.

"Hello, Harry." She said, dropping her legs down from where she'd had them perched on the desk.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I was looking for Professor Lupin."

"He's just gone to get a couple of things, should be back in just a minute. You're welcome to wait, if you want."

He really wasn't sure what to do, but decided that he needed to speak to his teacher so he should wait. He took a seat at the front of the class and Buffy got back to her book.

After a moment of sitting in silence he sighed. He'd actually gone there to speak with his teacher about the woman now sitting across from him, he desperately wanted to know just who she was, why she had randomly appeared from no where when it was impossible to apparate inside Hogwarts. He supposed he could talk with Dumbledore about it, but he had seen the DADA teacher with the woman more than anyone else.

"Uhmm..." She looked up at his voice, "Miss Summers? Or should I call you professor since you always help in classes?"

She laughed slightly, "No, please don't. How about you just call me Buffy?"

He nodded, feeling a bit better about talking to her. "Okay, Buffy. How comes you're not a professor? You still help to teach us..."

"Oh I'd be no good at that. No, I'm just here to help out whenever I can, at least until I can move on to somewhere else, I suppose. I hadn't really thought about the future much..."

He cleared his throat, preparing himself to say his next words. "I don't mean to sound rude... But who are you? How did you get to Hogwarts so suddenly? Did you apparate? Because that's not meant to be possible and-"

He watched as her eyes widened and he realised that he was speaking so quickly she had probably not even heard half of what he had asked. He stopped abruptly, noticing that she appeared to be laughing to herself. He had thought she would be angry, if anything. Not laughing.

"Geez, take a breath, Harry." She threw her book down to the table and turned so that he had her full attention. He noticed that she was grinning, obviously remembering something. "You know, you remind me of a certain student I used to know. He was always curious about things and got into so much trouble just sneaking around to try and find the answers... You're a lot like him actually."

Her smile faltered to be replaced with a sadness that he had seen many times before. "You're talking about my father, aren't you?"

She nodded, "How did you know?"

"I saw pictures from when he was school. I recognised you in a couple. You knew my parents, didn't you?"

"Yes, I knew them both. They were good people, good friends. I still can't believe that they are gone. For what it's worth, Harry, I'm sorry that I couldn't..." She trailed off, her gaze turning to stare across the room, and Harry was sure he could see tears gathering in her eyes.

"Couldn't what?" He asked slowly.

She turned her gaze back to him and he was surprised by the sheer amount of emotion on her face. "That I couldn't stop any of it. That I wasn't here to stop any of it."

He shook his head, even though he didn't know Buffy at all, he didn't want to see her upset. Not if she really had been a good friend of his parents'. "It's not your fault. You probably couldn't have done anything to stop it anyway. Voldemort would have just killed you too."

He was surprised that she didn't react to hearing His name, as so many people flinched or gasped at hearing it.

"Yeah, maybe."

"What were they like? My parents, I mean?"

She smiled at him then, "Your father liked getting up to as much mischief as possible, he was always getting in trouble. And your mother was very talented. She was a few years above me in school, but I always wished that I would someday be as good as she was. So you said you have photos of us all?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I have quite a few. Although you were only in a couple. Actually, I thought it was strange how you were only in the older ones."

"I had to leave Hogwarts during my fifth year, I've only just returned back to the wizarding community this past week." She shrugged, it wasn't a complete lie, but still she didn't exactly want everyone to know that she had been in another world entirely.

At that very moment the door swung open and Remus walked in, carrying a goblet of liquid which he quickly placed on the desk. "Ah, Harry, I hadn't expected to see you here."

Buffy stood, moving out the way as her brother moved towards the desk, "We were just having a chat."

Harry nodded, not sure weather to say anything about the nature of their chat or not. He decided that he would have other times to speak with his DADA teacher, in the meanwhile his curiosity about Buffy had been somewhat sated at least. "I should probably get going, I have to write a couple of essays still." He sent them both a look which said he wasn't looking forward to it before walking away.

It wasn't until he stepped outside that he realised she had never answered his question. He still had no idea how she had apparated onto the school grounds.

Buffy turned to her brother, who was looking at her curiously. "He came in asking questions about me. Is that the potion?" She gestured to the goblet.

"Don't change the subject, Buffy. What exactly did you tell him?"

She sighed, taking Harry's empty seat. "I told him that I knew his parents, that I had been away from the magical community for a while. That's all."

At his sigh of relief she nodded back to the goblet. "So, the goblet?"

"Ah, yes. Severus made it for me to help with my condition. It's almost that time, once again." She couldn't help but fold her arms around him at the saddened look on his face.

"You'll get through it. Don't worry, nothing bad will happen tonight."

"If only I had that same confidence."

Harry smiled as Hermione and Ron found him in the common room after their trip had ended.

He was slightly annoyed that he hadn't been able to go with them, but he found that he had actually enjoyed talking with Buffy and was glad that he had taken the time to ask her about the photos.

It felt strange having someone around who knew his parents, someone who could understand his loss. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about her that made him feel like he would always be welcome to speak to her, about anything.

After hearing all about his friends' day they asked what he had done. With a smile he told them that he had spoken to Buffy.

"I went to speak with Professor Lupin, but he wasn't there so I talked with Buffy for a while. You'll never guess, but it turns out that she knew my parents!"

Hermione let out a surprised gasp while Ron frowned, and Harry continued with his story. "She was at school with them, she said they were friends."

"Wow, what are the chances of that?" Ron said as he shuffled in his chair.

"Are you sure, Harry? Don't you think she looks a little too young to have been at school with them?"

He looked to Hermione, in truth he hadn't even noticed that. "I guess she is a bit... But she sounded genuine enough. And she's in the photos, remember."

Hermione still didn't look satisfied, "Photos can be forged, Harry. Don't you think it's strange how she just appeared out of thin air, like that? Apparating isn't possible."

"I don't know..."

"I'm just saying you shouldn't get your hopes up too early, Harry." She said as she stood, picking up a pile of books on her way, "Maybe you should look more into it. If she really was a student here there would be records of it in the library. Anyway, I'm off to bed, night you two."

She stepped away and Harry watched as she left the room, turning to Ron with a smile. "Fancy some undercover research?"


	7. Found Again

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

**A/N:**A big thank you to everyone who is continuing to read this story, although I wouldn't pass on a couple more reviews ;)

Chapter 6: Found Again

Harry yawned as he awoke, finding himself sitting on the floor of his room, his head rested on his bed and the pages of a book stuck to his cheek.

He pulled the book away and sat upright, Ron was sitting in a similar position on the opposite bed, which was covered in books. The other beds were empty and he could only groan at the idea of his friends waking and finding him in that position.

He stood, the book still in his hand as he thought over what had happened. And then it hit him. He and Ron had snuck down into the library and 'borrowed' a couple of books that showed the records of every student that had ever set foot into the school.

They had estimated the years to look through, but they had yet to find what they were looking for. They must have fallen asleep not long after getting back to their room.

Harry sat down on his bed, looking at the page that he had left open. He flipped through another couple of pages and was just about to give up when he spotted something.

There she was. He recognised the picture of her instantly, she looked exactly as she had in that first photograph. Under her image was the dates of her education and her name. He stopped short, looking at the text in confusion.

That wasn't her name... Or was it?

_1973 - (1978)  
Isabella Anne Lupin_

"Lupin?" Ron stared incredulously at the image, "That can't be right... She said her name was Summers. And those dates, she only studied here for five years, right?"

"Give me that." Hermione took the book from his hands and read it herself. "It's a shame it doesn't give any more information. But you're right, Harry, that does look an awful lot like her."

"It is her. But why would she lie about her name, why wouldn't she tell me that she related to Professor Lupin?"

"That's probably why she's only ever been in his class." Hermione said as she handed the book back to Harry. "You'll just have to ask them both about it."

He nodded, their first lesson for the day was DADA, so he would have the perfect opportunity once the lesson had finished. "We should get going or we'll be late." He stuffed the book in his bag and the three of them hurried out to the DADA classroom.

They were in for quite a shock when they arrived to find not Professor Lupin, or even Buffy standing at the front of the classroom, but Professor Snape.

"What time do you call this, Potter, Weasley, Granger? You're late."

"We were-"

"Ten points from Gryffindor, each, for being late to my class." He sneered before turning to the board at the front. "As I was saying before I was interrupted. I am covering this lesson as Professor Lupin is ill this morning and has asked for some rest. Now turn to page three hundred and ninety-four of your books."

The entire class groaned as they flipped through their pages and Hermione frowned, her hand sticking up in the air almost instantly. "But sir, we're not supposed to study werewolves yet-"

The potions professor let out a growl, "Miss Granger, I will remind you that I am teaching this class, not you or anyone else-"

All eyes turned as the doors swung open and Harry felt a smile appear on his lips. Buffy stepped into the room with a bright smile, making her way over to the front of the room.

"Hey, Severus. Dumbledore told me to tell you that you're no longer needed. I'm taking over from here." She didn't even try to keep the smile off her face as she subtly told him to go away.

He looked like he wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile from her face, but with so many eyes watching he couldn't do anything. With a huff he shoved the book in her hands and stormed out from the room, slamming the doors behind him.

Buffy waited until he had finally left before letting out a slow whistle, "Whoo someone got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning."

The entire class laughed as she looked down at the page he had set them. Werewolves? Was he trying to say something?

She shook her head, knowing exactly what the class was meant to be studying, she had sat in on most of their lessons after all. "Alright everyone, we're going to ignore what moody guts there was saying, please turn to page one hundred and twenty-three. We're going to be learning about Hinkypunks today."

The clock chimed above her head and she almost sighed in disappointment. She hadn't realised how quickly the lesson had gone by and had thoroughly enjoyed herself.

The class had seemed to know the basics about the creatures already but she had spent the lesson teaching them the spells to stop Hinkypunks as well as telling them some stories about the creatures that she had read long ago. All in all, the class couldn't have gone better and she really didn't want it to end.

She was very glad now that she had taken Dumbledore's advice, as it had been him who had first told her that he thought she would make a good cover teacher for Remus's absences. And thankfully, the students all seemed to have had as much fun as they did in her brother's class too.

"Alright, everyone. That's all for today. I'm not going to set any homework, you could probably use the break. I'll see you all next time." She laughed at the many students nodding their heads and cheering as they left the room, until there was just one left, and he didn't look as if he wanted to leave.

"Harry, what's up?"

He looked up at her, surprised that she had come over to him so quickly. She perched herself on the edge of the desk in front of him and he pulled out the book. "I wanted to show you something I found. I just... I wanted to see what you thought about it."

He flipped through the pages until he found the right one and held it out for her to see.

She gasped when she saw the picture and read the text below it, snatching the book from his hands and then slamming it shut. Her eyes were wide and he thought he saw fear in them.

"Harry, this isn't exactly the type of book you look at for homework help, why did you look in here?"

He shook his head, "I don't know... There was just something that I didn't understand about you. How could you have been here at Hogwarts back then, when you hardly look old enough to be twenty-five? It doesn't add up. I want to believe you, I really do but I need to know."

She nodded as she placed the book back on his desk. "Alright, Harry. I can't tell you everything, there are certain things that would get you in trouble if you knew the truth. I hope you can understand that. Also, what I'm about to tell you can't be repeated. I trust you to keep my secret, okay?"

He nodded, sitting forward in his chair eagerly.

"This book is right, my name used to be Isabella Lupin. And Professor Lupin is my older brother. We both went to Hogwarts with your parents, and we were very good friends with them. But then something happened to me, when I was in my fifth year at school." She paused, how far should she go? What should she tell him? She trusted him with the truth, that was not the reason she paused.

"I can't tell you why it happened, but I left this world." She watched his eyes widen, his form slumping back in his seat.

"This world?"

"Yes, Harry. There are many worlds out there, I was sent to one of them. To live and start a new life. I forgot about everything I had left here, and I found a new name."

"Buffy Summers?"

"Exactly, I spent... well this is where it gets confusing. I spent eight years in that world, and then I came back here. But when I arrived here at Hogwarts, it had actually been fifteen years that I had been missing for. Time moved differently in the two worlds."

"I think I understand..." He said, "So you didn't apparate into Hogwarts that day?"

"No, not in the sense that I had transported myself here. Let's just say that someone up above wanted me back here, so they clicked their fingers and here I am." She said with a sad smile, hating that her life had always been governed by the powers.

"Wow. And I thought my life was eventful."

She laughed, and he found himself joining in until she reached out and ruffled up his hair. "Harry, trust me, things can only get better now. Besides, I'm going to be here, keeping watch over you from now on. I'm not letting anything happen to you."

He nodded, glad to finally have someone, other than his friends, who he could talk to. Someone who would understand him.

She stood from the desk and held out her wand towards the book. "I think it's time we got rid of this thing." With a a single word muttered under her breath, the book was suddenly alight, its pages burning and crumpling into ashes.


	8. Quick Thinking

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 7: Quick Thinking

Buffy had been so excited until she had stepped outside, and found herself soaked from head to foot in the numbingly cold rain.

It was the first quidditch match she would see since her arrival back to Hogwarts and as always, she was eagerly awaiting the game. The harsh rain and bitter wind was not the ideal conditions for playing in, but the game was going ahead anyway.

As she made her way to the teachers stand she spotted her Severus, already sitting and watching out across the pitch, his usual dark expression in place.

She smiled at him as she took her seat in between him and Professor McGonagall. As she looked out over the pitch, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor players that would have to fly in the bad weather.

"It's a shame the weather is so bad, I was looking forward to seeing this." She shouted.

She watched as the potions teacher grunted in response, he really hadn't changed much from when they were children. "And Harry's playing too. I can't wait to see how good he is!"

He turned to her then, "There are much better players than Potter. He's overrated."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at his remark, but didn't have time to voice her thoughts as the quidditch teacher stepped onto the field, the players standing around her. She let out a whistle, and the balls were all released.

The pitch was suddenly filled with flashes of colour as the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff players zoomed around.

Buffy had no problem keeping up with the players and watched them as they sped through the sky, a part of her wishing that she had taken more time to practice her own skills as a teenager. She had given up trying after her failed attempt to join the quidditch team all those years back.

She joined in with the crowd and cheered when any goals were scored, and even though she had to remain a neutral party, she was silently urging on the Gryffindor team.

The crowd roared as the Hufflepuff captain spun and changed direction, having seen the snitch. He raced after it, his hands outstretched but never quite reaching the small golden ball as it hovered just out of his reach.  
Harry seemed to notice this too as he shot off, following close behind.

Buffy ignored the crowds as her eyes flicked up into the sky. Her senses suddenly screaming at her, something was not right.

Her gaze scanned the dark clouds, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. And then a flash of lightning illuminated a dark, cloaked figure floating in the air. A dementor.

She stood from her seat, barely registering the other teachers who were also slowly noticing. They all knew that the dementors were not supposed to enter the school grounds, so what was it doing there now?

She let out a cry as she saw yet more dementors appear around the pitch. The crowds had all started to take notice by now and people were yelling and shouting, some terrified students were even fleeing from the stands.

One of the dementors was swooping down on Harry, whose body was frozen with fear. Buffy knew how he had been around the dementor on the train, Remus had told her all about the encounter, so she knew there was nothing Harry could do to get away.

The dementor moved to his side, its bony fingers reaching out to try and grab at him. The creatures powers caused Harry to loose consciousness, and his hands lost his grip on his broom.

Buffy watched with a gasp as he slipped from his broom and she ran to the end of the stand, her hands instinctively grabbing for her wand. But there was nothing she could do to stop Harry's fall. She contemplated jumping after him but before she could act she felt the familiar feeling of magic beside her.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a wand being held out towards the pitch. Dumbledore.

His spell slowed Harry's fall, and let him slowly float to the ground. He still hit the earth with a thud, and would probably have some painful bruises, but at least he would be alive.

Her gaze was drawn back up the group of dementors who were rushing forward, as if to chase after Harry. Digging back through her memory, Buffy held out her wand and yelled out the only spell that came to her.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A stream of silver burst from her wand and shot towards the dementors, slowly taking form as it grew closer. The dementors shrieked as they shielded their eyes from the blinding light, eventually fleeing back the way they had come.

Once all of the creatures had vanished, the lone silver wolf howled as it faded away into wisps, before disappearing all together.

* * *

Harry awoke to the chatter of familiar voices which instantly stilled as soon as he made a noise. Groaning in slight pain, he sat up and looked around. He was in a bed in the hospital wing, a bunch of friends crowded around his bed.

"Ugh, what happened?" He asked, his voice croaky from the lack of use.

Hermione was immediately at his side handing him a glass of water, which he took with a grateful smile.

Ignoring his question one of the twins stepped forwards, "Harry, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, a little sore but... What happened?" He asked again, looking from one friend to another. He noticed that the quidditch team was there, meaning that the game had obviously finished or been postponed.

"You fell from your broom. It was horrible." Alicia said with a small sniff as she wiped at her eyes. "We thought you had died!"

"What about the match?" Harry asked, "Is there going to be a re-match?"

Everyone stayed silent with grim expressions on their faces and Harry felt his own turn downwards in defeat. "We lost, didn't we?"

George nodded quickly, "Diggory got the snitch just after you fell. He didn't realise what happened until afterwards. He tried to call it off and get a re-match once he realised but we all agreed they won fair and square, even Wood."

Harry nodded even though he felt so annoyed at himself. He ignored the conversation going on around him as his friends spoke of the remaining matches they would have to go through. All his brain kept telling him was that it was his fault that they had lost, that it was because of him that they were all disappointed.

Noticing that he wasn't really paying much attention Ron interrupted them, "It's fine, Harry. Right?" He asked looking out to the quidditch team who looked surprised at first, but all nodded in agreement.

"You wasn't going to win every match, Harry." Fred said with a smile.

"No, it's not over yet."

Harry smiled at them, although it was still strained.

Eventually his teammates left the room to collect their missing captain, leaving Harry alone with Hermione and Ron.

He squirmed nervously in his bed as they leaned in closer. He couldn't help it, ever since he had spoken to Buffy he had been feeling anxious around his friends. He had kept his promise and he hadn't told anyone, not even Ron and Hermione, about who Buffy really was. He had lied, told them that she was not the girl in the photo, she just looked similar to her. But he knew that they were not satisfied with his short explanation.

"Harry, do you remember what happened up there?" Hermione asked with concern. The look on her face made him feel slightly better, they still cared even though they knew he had lied to them.

"The dementors came onto the pitch and I blacked out again?" He asked, careful not to mention that he had heard his mothers voice once again, now that would scare his friends away.

They nodded, "Dumbledore was really angry. I've never seen him like that before. He saved your life by slowing down your fall."

"What happened to the dementors?"

The pair looked at each other before Ron shrugged, "Buffy sent some silver stuff at them and they ran away. I didn't really see what happened after."

Harry nodded. "I thought the dementors weren't allowed on the school grounds? Why would they come in?"

Hermione shrugged, "They obviously thought that they had seen Black. That's the only reason I can think of. That or someone purposefully sent them in."

"All I know is that I'm glad Dumbledore and Buffy were there. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't been." Ron said with a smile.

Hermione nodded as she let out a small sigh. "I suppose... Still I don't like her story. I just don't understand how-" She trailed off at the exhausted look on Harry's face. "Come on, Ron. Let's give Harry some rest."

* * *

Buffy made her way to the hospital wing after her uneventful patrol of the forest. She had waited until nightfall so that there would be no students around to interrupt. She stepped into the room, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. The room was lit with only a few candles placed on tables and at the windows. The place was empty except for Harry, who was fast asleep in his bed, and Remus who was sitting silently beside him.

She stepped up to her brother and squeezed his shoulder. Keeping her voice low she smiled down to him, "How are you feeling?"

"As well as can be expected after the last three nights." At her look of concern he chuckled, "I'll be fine. Besides, Harry looks to be in a worse shape than I am."

"Oh, right. You heard then?"

He nodded, "Albus informed me of what happened. You were quick to think of that spell though. I didn't think you would remember it, let alone be able to summon a patronus so quickly."

She shrugged as she took a seat beside the bed too. "It just came to me, I guess. But you're right, it is the first major spell I've done since returning here. I think I surprised myself a little."

"It shouldn't have, you always were good at your spells. Though you never told me your patronus was a wolf?"

She laughed quietly, "Well, I guess it reminded me of someone."

The siblings fell into silence as they looked over to Harry once again. "You know, I think it's about time Harry learned that spell. The next time he gets close to a dementor he might not be so lucky to have anyone with him."

Buffy nodded in agreement.


	9. Special Lessons

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 8: Special Lessons

It was the following Monday morning that Harry was finally allowed to leave the hospital wing and get back to his classes. Since he had missed a few days most of the teachers piled him with extra homework so that he could catch up to the rest of the students. By the time he got to his last class for the day, DADA, he was feeling exhausted and slightly annoyed.

He was glad when he stepped into the classroom to be greeted with friendly smiles from his teacher and of course, Buffy, who had taken up the role of assistant. He returned their greeting and sat with Ron and Hermione near the back of the room. He was so tired he felt as though he would fall asleep but forced himself to pay attention.

Surprisingly, as soon as the pair of adults began teaching them he was so fascinated that by the end of the lesson he felt more awake than he had done throughout the entire day.

He stood with Ron and Hermione as they collected their books, talking to themselves about another great lesson when Professor Lupin came over to them.

"Harry, could I see you for a moment, please?" At the worried looks on his friends faces, the professor smiled, "It'll only take a moment. I just wanted to discuss something with you."

Harry nodded, waving off his friends. He stayed in his seat until all the other students had left, and he was finally alone with Remus and Buffy.

"What is it? Am I in trouble?" He asked, suddenly worried that they had spotted him yawning or something.  
Buffy laughed at him as she jumped up so that she was sitting on one of the desks, looking a lot like a teenager rather than the adult that she actually was.

"No, Harry. We wanted to see if you'd like to take some special lessons with us?"  
Harry frowned at her wording, "Special lessons? Am I not doing well enough in class? Because I love DADA class and I always try my hardest! I know I don't always do my homework to my best ability but I-"

She laughed again, making him stop mid sentence. Remus came up from behind her and lightly smacked her across the back of the head, "Stop tormenting the poor boy, Buffy."

She pouted as she waved his hand away, "Alright, alright. You're getting to be no fun in your old age."

He sent her an unamused look which even had Harry chuckling under his breath. He couldn't help but grin, just being around the pair of them was so refreshing. He loved how they could be perfectly normal at one moment and completely childish the next. Then again, he supposed he couldn't blame them after everything that had happened in their lives.

"What Buffy meant to say, is that we would like to teach you some new things that we think might help you out. We know how you react to the dementors, Harry, so we'd like to teach you the means to defend yourself from their power."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. He nodded enthusiastically until Remus continued on. "It might take a long time for you to get the hang of it, Harry. It is a very complex spell and not many wizards in their fifth years could perform it right, let alone a third year like yourself. I don't want you to do this if you don't feel ready-"

"Of course I want to learn it!" He turned to Buffy, "You saw what happened when the dementors showed up at the quidditch match. I can't have that happening every time I see one."

Buffy nodded, "Alright, but you mustn't get yourself down if you can't do it right at first. It takes a lot of practice, trust me I remember."

"Right. I'm willing to give it a go." Harry said with a big nod.

* * *

When the next DADA lesson of the week ended, Harry stayed behind rather than heading to lunch with his friends. He had already told them about the extra lessons he was going to have so they let him stay without a fuss.

Remus got him started by going through the theory of the patronus spell and teaching him what it could be used for, what effect a patronus had on dementors and how one is conjured.

After fifteen minutes or so Buffy left the room with a grin, returning some five minutes later with a box of food that she had taken from the school kitchens. "Lunch is served."

Harry helped himself to the snacks with Buffy while Remus only shook his head in mock disapproval, muttering something about always having to clean up after his sister. Once both him and Buffy had finished eating they practiced the movements and actions needed to perform the spell.

"Okay, Harry, that's great. Now in order for the spell to work you have to focus on something that really makes you happy. The dementors are trying to suck all the happiness out of you, remember, so it has to be something really happy, a memory that you can overpower them with."

Harry frowned as he lowered his wand. "A happy memory?"

She nodded, "Come on, don't you have any happy memories from your childhood or from school? It can't have been that bad."

He shook his head, "You obviously haven't met my Aunt and Uncle. Alright, how about the first time I flew on a broom? That was a happy moment for me."

Buffy nodded, "Alright, we can try it."

Remus gestured for him to return back to his casting position, his wand held out in front of him. "Remember the words are _expecto patronum_."

Harry nodded, closing his eyes as he focused on that one memory. The first time he flew, the feeling of pure exhilaration that had hit him as his feet left the ground.

"_Expecto patronum_."

He opened his eyes to find that nothing had happened. With an annoyed sigh he closed them again, focusing again on the image of him flying back in his first year.

"_Expecto patronum_."

This time a small jet of silver flew from the tip of his wand, barely a couple of inches long. It hovered for a moment before fading away completely.

"That was good!" Remus said with a smile as he stepped forward. "You're doing great. Even if you can't summon a full patronus, the silver wisps can sometimes be enough to hold back a dementor."

"Sometimes? That doesn't sound too good."

"You'll get there, Harry. Like we said, this spell can take a long time to get to grips with." Buffy added.

Harry sat down with a thud, "Maybe my memory isn't happy enough?"

Remus looked thoughtful, "It's possible. To stop a dementor you will have to really concentrate hard on that memory. Harry, I think we should end the lesson for now. You've done great so far but you're obviously tired and need some rest."

Harry nodded, even though he wanted to stay and practice the spell he knew that his professor was right. "I'll try to think of something better for next time."

At that moment Buffy shot upright with a gasp, "Oh! I've just had an idea!" With that she took off, running through the corridor. Harry and Remus looked to each other with identical puzzled looks.

They laughed together before they began packing away the things they had brought out. Eventually Harry picked up his bag and looked up to his teacher.

"I was actually wondering... There's a Hogsmeade trip next week... But I don't have the permission form signed and I really-"

Remus slowly shook his head, "I'm sorry, Harry. Even if I could sign it for you, you shouldn't be out at Hogsmeade right now anyway. It's too dangerous."

"Well, what about everyone else that's going?"

Remus sighed, "I'm sorry, Harry." He repeated before he too left the classroom.

* * *

Buffy shivered as she stepped out into the schools courtyard. A blanket of snow had fallen over the area, leaving the castle grounds sparkling white. She grabbed at her jacket and pulled the sides closer around her body, watching as the area soon filled up with excited students dressed in their everyday winter clothes.

It was the day of the Hogsmeade trip, and Dumbledore had asked her to go along with them to keep an eye out for any trouble. She had been excited at first, until the snow had arrived.

"Hey, Buffy." She turned to find Harry walking over to her. "What are you doing out here?"  
She smiled, "I'm going on the trip. The boss wants me to tag along. I didn't think you were allowed to go..?"

He shook his head sadly, "I'm not. I just came to say goodbye to Ron and Hermione. Are you sure I can't go? If you're going too you could-"

"No, I can't, Harry." She interrupted quickly before he got any ideas. "Hogsmeade isn't so great anyway. It's just a small town with a couple of boring shops and a pub." She saw how this wasn't helping him any and sighed.

"I just wanted to spend some time with my friends, I don't understand why I can't go..." He said. Buffy nodded, thankful that he didn't know about that secret entrance into Hogsmeade. Although, if he was anything like his father, it wouldn't take him long to find it if he tried.

"Sorry, Harry." She said as Professor McGonagall entered the area and began rounding everyone up. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

Harry watched her go, wishing that he could have left with them all. Eventually, when the courtyard was once again empty and quiet, he made his way back into the castle. He had barely stepped inside when he was grabbed from behind, and two very familiar voices called out to him.

"Hey, Harry."

"You need a way into Hogsmeade?"

"Why don't you just take the secret passageway?"

"Be a lot easier."


	10. Renewed Friendships

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

**A/N:**As always, thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. Also I am very sorry if a certain character seems a bit OOC in this chapter, but I wanted to get this particular scene out and I couldn't think of any other way to write it. Anyway, on with the show:

* * *

Chapter 9: Renewed Friendships

Buffy grumbled as she trudged through yet more snow, trying her best to follow the footsteps of the group of people in front of her. Even with slayer enhancements, she wasn't always safe from slipping on the ice.

As soon as she spotted a building she made a beeline for it, feeling as though she would do anything to get out of the cold and slippery conditions.

As she stepped inside The Three Broomsticks the warm air from the fire hit her and instantly warmed her chilled body. She sighed in contentment as she walked through the busy pub to try and find a seat. Most of the booths were already filled with chatting and laughing students. She spotted a couple of the third years bunched together, looking around the room as if they were trying to take in every inch of it.

Eventually she saw an empty booth right in the corner of the room and hurried over to it. She had barely reached the table when someone else appeared on the other side, having apparently been searching for an empty booth themselves.

She looked up in surprise at the face of the potions master who was silently glaring at her from across the table, daring her to sit down at the seat he had wanted.

She smiled innocently, "Oh come on, Sev. I'm sure we can sit at the same table just this once."

He grumbled in reply as he sat at the far end of the booth, and Buffy smiled in victory as she sat down, purposefully placing herself in the middle so that she was closer to him than he wanted her to be.

They sat in silence until Madam Rosmerta, the owner of the bar, came over to take their drink orders. Once she had gone, Buffy turned to Severus once again.

"So how have you really been, Sev?"

He ignored her and purposefully looked the other way, as if he hadn't heard her at all. She almost smiled at his antics, he had done this a million times during their time at school together and it wasn't about to start catching her out now. So she took a deep breath and continued on, "How did you end up teaching? I never thought you would be the type."

He spun then, as if realising that she wasn't fooled by his act. "You haven't changed a bit, Buffy. You still can't keep your nose out of other people's business."

She grinned up at him, "You haven't changed much yourself, you know. You've still got that whole moody and brooding thing going on. I would have thought after all these years you would have outgrown that by now."

She watched his eyes narrow in anger, "After all these years? You weren't even here, you have no idea what happened to me or-"

"Well, then why don't you tell me? I want to know."

He shook his head slowly and Buffy was sure she saw sadness reflected in his eyes. "No... Why would you want to know anyway, it is of no concern to you."

She shrugged, "I guess, but we used to be... kinda friends... I even kinda enjoyed our time together back then, even if we were always insulting each other... I just want us to be back to that again."

He stared at her with a completely expressionless face, as if he were trying to read her. "You enjoyed that?"

Buffy couldn't help but laugh, "Well maybe not the insulting part, but it was good having someone to talk to who wasn't my brother or the marauders."

They stayed silent as Rosmerta came back with their drinks and each took a sip before placing the drinks back on the table.

"Look, Sev. You don't have to tell me anything, you don't even have to like me, just do me one favour and don't treat me like a stranger. We might not have been best buds but I considered you a friend and I valued your friendship. I'd hate to have all that destroyed just because of all this time between us."

He looked away in the distance for a moment, and Buffy wondered if he was going to reply or not when she finally heard his answer. "No, I wouldn't want that either..." He turned back to her, that same sad look in his eyes. "But you left, without even telling me. I thought you had abandoned me like everyone else..."

She almost gasped as she suddenly realised what he was meaning. He had always thought that she had left on her own terms, that she had purposefully walked away from not only the school, but him as well.

"No, Sev, I-"

He held up his hand to stop her, "I know, now I know. Albus has told me that much. What he failed to explain was why you had to leave."

"I can't tell you that either." She said sadly, "Sev, I never intended to leave that day, it just happened, and I can't replace all the time that I've missed. All I can do is try and move on, and being back on speaking terms with you is one of the things on my list. So do you think we can do that?"

He nodded slowly again, his eyes searching the room which was slowly getting more and more crowded.

Buffy grinned as she grabbed at his arm, "Great, so now that's out the way, you wanna go for a walk? We can catch up!"

She didn't miss his groan as she dragged him to his feet.

* * *

Harry clung to the invisibility cloak that was thrown over his body as he stepped through the snow, his eyes searching the area for some sign of his friends.

As he walked past the shops his eyes were drawn over to the sweet shop, the decorations in the window looked amazing, but standing just outside was Ron and Hermione. The pair were obviously together, but were standing at least an arms length away from each other almost as if they had been arguing again.

With a smile on his face he rushed over, only to almost bump straight into someone. With a small squeal he jumped backwards, falling to the ground in the process. He glared up at the retreating backs of Professor Snape and Buffy as they continued on completely oblivious to nearly having run him over.

His mind briefly wondered why they would be together but he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Harry pulled the cloak off after checking that there was no other teachers around and waved over to his friends who had now spotted him.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" Hermione cried as the pair ran over to him. Ron lent him a hand and pulled him back up to his feet.

"Fred and George showed me a secret passage out of Hogwarts. And this." he pulled out a sheet of parchment and grinned at his friends.

"What do you mean? Its just a piece of parchment." Hermione stated as she looked down at it.

"Don't tell me they fooled you into thinking it was actually worth something..." Ron groaned.

Harry laughed as he shook his head, "But it is. I'll show you later."

"Harry, I don't know if you should be here. It's against school rules and if you get caught..."

"I won't." He replied with a grin, "I have the cloak. Besides I don't see why you guys should get all the fun while I'm stuck at the castle."

"Right, let's show him around!" Ron said happily, sending Hermione a grin as he spotted her worried expression. "Don't worry so much, Hermione. It'll be fine."

They spent some time in each of the shops and then when they started feeling cold again they rushed into the nearest pub. The three ordered their drinks and quickly found a table near the back where they would be able to keep an eye on the door.

"This butter beer is amazing." Ron said as he gulped up the last drops of his. "Though it hasn't really warmed me up like they said it would."

Hermione sighed disapprovingly, she had only just taken a couple of sips from her own glass. "That's because you're greedy and drank it too quickly."

Harry laughed as the pair began their usual round of arguing, but his eyes were drawn over to the doors where Professor McGonagall had just walked in. Without saying a word, he pulled the cloak out and threw it over himself.

Ron and Hermione didn't even notice he had vanished until they saw their teacher walking directly towards them and their arguments suddenly dropped. They squirmed in their seats as Professor McGonagall looked at them with a knowing gaze.

"Why do you have three glasses?" She asked as she stopped right by their table, inches from where Harry was sitting, hidden under his cloak.

Ron reached over to grab Harry's glass, "Oh that's mine. I love these so much I ordered two!"

The transfiguration teacher stared at them for a second longer before nodding and walking away, finally stopping at the table behind them where Madam Rosmerta was sitting.

The three couldn't help but overhear as the two women chatted together as if they were good friends, their conversation changing from school events to Quidditch and Hogsmeade news. But just as the students were about to drown out their voices, the conversation turned to something much more interesting.

"Those dementors have been causing me a lot of trouble recently. Searched the pub twice since they were stationed here, you know."

"Well that can't be any good for business..."

"Has there been any more sightings?" Rosmerta asked, her voice lowered, "Of Black?"

The table was silent for a moment, before Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "I think we should take this conversation somewhere else, perhaps upstairs where no one can overhear..." The older witch said in reply.

As the pair stood and made their way up the stairs Harry pulled on Ron's sleeve and then made to follow them before he could be stopped.

Making sure his cloak was in place properly, he crept up behind them while trying his hardest not to make a sound. Eventually they stopped in a small sitting room where the two witches sat down, the door behind them was left open just an inch, and that was enough for Harry to hear every word.

"So, Black... Has there been any more sightings at the school?"

"No, we have searched everywhere and there is not a trace of him since that night. It is worrying."

Madam Rosmerta shook her head in disbelief, "I still don't understand why he would go to Hogwarts, what with all the dementors there to catch him. You would think they would put him off."

"Yes, well I suppose he will do anything to get what he wants. He must be very determined."

The bar maid let out a sigh, "Oh yes, Harry. The poor boy, and you say he doesn't know anything about who Black is?"

Harry stilled as he heard his name enter the conversation. Of course they could be talking about anyone named Harry, but what were the chances of that? And more importantly, what would he possibly have to do with Sirius Black?

"As far as I am aware, and we're not going to let him find out. It's too dangerous." His teacher stated quickly, cutting off Harry's thoughts, "If he knew that Black was actually his godfather and that he was coming after him... I dread to think what he might do."

His godfather? Sirius Black was his Godfather?

Harry felt himself fall against the wall, a gasp leaving his mouth. Why would his parents have ever named a murderer as his godfather? And why was this man after him? Because he had defeated Voldemort all those long years ago? Was he after revenge?

"Of course. Though I'm surprised Albus let him come to Hogsmeade with all this trouble going on."

Harry stilled again, he had been in the bar for a while now and he hadn't been wearing the cloak the entire time. He had never thought that Madam Rosmerta would pay attention, let alone say anything to his teachers...

"What? He isn't at Hogsmeade. We wouldn't allow it!"

The bar maid faltered, "Oh... I am sure that I... Never mind, I was probably mistaking him for someone else."

Having heard enough, Harry left the hall as quickly as he could without making too much noise. He sped down the stairs and without even bothering to stop at his friend's table he rushed back to the secret passageway that led to the school.


	11. Confession Time

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 10: Confession Time

Harry sat in a daze as he watched the clock above Professor Lupin's desk. It was the first DADA lesson since the Hogsmeade trip and Harry, who had kept quiet about everything he had heard, was quickly loosing his patience.

He wanted to know the truth, and he knew the only people who could give it to him were the people who had known his parents back when they had been alive. He had thought about going to the headmaster, but he figured that his  
DADA professor and his sister would have a better understanding.

As soon as the clock chimed the entire class erupted into a frenzy with students gathering their books and chatting away. Remus was shouting out about their homework which they had to complete but Harry was hardly paying attention.

He was due to have another patronus lesson with the siblings after the class anyway, so when he barely moved from his seat Ron and Hermione left him without concern.

Once the entire room was empty save for Harry and his professor he looked up.

"Harry, are you all right? You seem rather distracted today." Remus said as he began clearing away the various things he had gathered on his desk.

"Yes... I guess I have been." He replied slowly.

Before his teacher could reply the doors banged open loudly and Buffy entered, pushing a large wardrobe into the room with little effort.

Remus raised an eyebrow at her as she moved the object into a corner.

"It's the boggart. We can use it to practice on." She stated, as if it was the most genius idea in the world.

"Ah, good. That will certainly help... Though I can't have that wardrobe in my classroom all the time."

"No problem, it's not that heavy to move." She replied with a shrug as she jumped up onto a table like normal, her legs swinging below her. "So, when are we starting?"

Before his professor could answer, Harry looked up at them. "Actually, I wanted to tell you both something."

He waited until they both nodded their assent and he continued on. "I overheard something the other day, and I wanted to know if it was true. It was about my parents."

He saw how Buffy smiled at him and Remus nodded in encouragement. If only they knew what he was about to ask.

"At the Three Broomsticks..." He paused as he took in their expressions of disappointment. "Madam Rosmerta and Professor McGonagall were talking about Sirius Black... They said he was my godfather and that he was coming after me. Is it true?"

Their faces had dropped instantly at the mention of Black's name, and it seemed both had been temporarily stunned into silence.

"Harry..."

"I just want to know the truth. And you guys are the best people to ask." he said quickly, watching as the pair sent identical worried looks to each other.

"All right, we'll tell you what we know." Remus said finally as he took a seat next to Buffy. "Harry, Sirius Black is your godfather, that much is true."

"What? You didn't tell me that." Buffy said from her seat, looking to her brother in surprise.

Harry shook his head with a slight growl, "Why would they do that? Why would they make a murderer be my godfather?"

Remus sighed, "You have to remember, Harry, Sirius was not always a murderer. In fact before that he was a good friend of your parents, and of the both of us. Back at school Sirius and James were inseparable, they were best friends. That is why your parents named him as your godfather. We were all friends, we all trusted each other... But we should never have trusted him."

Harry sat in silence as he took it all in. He couldn't understand why his parents would be friends with this criminal, surely they must have known? "But then, if he was their friend... Why did he turn into a deatheater? Why did he turn against them?"

"We have no idea why he turned against us all, Harry. All I know is that your parent's trusted him with their lives, and he betrayed that trust. He led Voldemort straight to them, to you."

"And is he after me now? Is that why he broke out of Azkaban?"

Buffy stepped down from her seat, "We're not entirely sure, no one is. But with his connection to you, and all the recent sightings... Well, we're just being cautious. We're doing everything we can to keep you safe, and that includes keeping you _inside_ the castle."

"Now you know why we didn't want you going to Hogsmeade." Remus added, "How did you do it?"

Harry shook his head, "The cloak of course..." He hoped they would take his answer without question. He would hate if they closed off the secret passageway because he told them he had been using it.

"Right, the cloak... Shoulda thought of that." Buffy said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. "At any rate, Harry, you shouldn't leave the castle again. It's not safe. You're lucky nothing happened and that you wasn't spotted."

Harry nodded as he stood from his seat, "I know. I'm sorry, but I don't much feel up to practising the patronus spell tonight."

"Of course." Remus said as he too stood, watching as Harry left the room. Just as he reached the door, he called out. "Harry, promise us something... Promise that you won't go looking for him."

Harry felt his fists curl in anger as he left without a word. Questions flowing through his mind.

Why?

Why would he go after someone who wanted to kill him?

Why would his parents ever be friends with someone who was capable of so much destruction?

Why did they ever trust him? How could they not see what he really was?

Why did they have to die when Black is still out there?


	12. Explode

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 11: Explode

The first day of the Christmas holidays wasn't a happy day for Harry.

He had hardly slept at all, his mind too active with the constant questions, and he had been woken by an all too happy Ron who had quickly started getting on his nerves.

They had met Hermione in the common room and made their way to breakfast while listening to her complain about his use of the marauders map and how he should turn it in to a teacher.

By the time they reached the hall Harry had been trying his best to ignore his friends, but that meant his attention had been elsewhere. He had watched the teachers table as Remus and Buffy chatted away as if there was not a trouble in the world and he had felt his anger returning. Their presence alone was enough to remind him of everything he desperately wanted to forget...

As soon as he had finished his food he stepped away from the table and made his way up to the common room, ignoring the protests from his friends.

The one thing he was glad about was that most of the students had left the school for the holidays. It meant that he could sit in the common room without being disturbed.

He had barely been alone for five minutes when Hermione and Ron came through the portrait hole and silently sat beside him. Hermione placed her hand on his arm and he instantly knew that he was being unfair to them, he had been treating them both badly when they had done nothing wrong. But still they had come to comfort him, knowing that he was in a bad mood even if they didn't understand why.

"What's up, mate? We know there's something wrong." Ron started awkwardly.

Hermione jumped in quickly, "You don't have to tell us if there is something wrong, we just want to make sure you're okay."

Harry's thoughts were so jumbled that he didn't know what to say. If he had any more thoughts his head might just explode, he had to let it all out. "I don't know where to start. Everything is so... ugh." He stood and turned so that he was facing both of his friends. "I'm so sorry, I've been a horrible friend these last few days, in fact, its been longer than that..."

"Of course not." Ron said with a smile.

"You've just been a bit distracted recently, we understand that." Hermione added.

"No, that's not it." He quickly corrected, "I've been lying to you both for a long time now. I think I'm so angry at everything that I just need to get it all out. I need to tell you everything."

The two nodded and Harry took a seat opposite them. "I overheard Professor McGonagall and Madam Rosmerta in the pub, they were talking about Sirius Black. They said that he was my godfather." He ignored the shocked looks on his friends faces and continued on. "I wanted to know the truth, so I went to the two people that I knew had known my parents. Professor Lupin and Buffy."

"Buffy? But I thought you said..."

"Yes, I was lying. She didn't want anyone to know that she really is Remus' sister, that it was her in the pictures and that she went to school with my parents. She left Hogwarts in her fifth year and just came back this year. Everyone thought she had died or ran away or something, but she had been alive all this time, just somewhere else."

"Why wouldn't she want anyone to know that?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know, she just said it was dangerous for people to know. But anyway, I asked them about Sirius. They said it's true, he is my godfather and that he was best friends with my dad at school, that they were all friends at school. Sirius Black might as well have killed my parents, he betrayed them and joined Voldemort, he was their secret keeper and he told him where they were hiding."

"They were friends? Surely they must have known..." Ron said while watching his friend with concern.

"Yes, that's what I keep thinking. I can't see how..." Harry sighed as he slumped back in his seat. "Sirius is coming after me, he wants revenge because I killed his master. That's why he came here, to find me."

There was a moment of pure silence until Hermione let out a gasp.

"Of course!" She jumped up and grabbed at the piece of parchment on the table, "The map! He could have been using any of these secret passageways to get into Hogwarts. If he was a student here he might have known about some of them."

Ron shook his head as he snatched the map away from her hands, "No way, Fred and George didn't even know about all of these until they got this. And besides you can't use half of them, right?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, one of them is caved in, one is under the Whomping Willow which you can't get near and the Hogsmeade one hard to find unless you know exactly where it is."

"I still think you should hand that thing in, the teachers could use it to search for him." Hermione said with a sigh. Then a thoughtful look came across her face which made the boys pause.

"What is it?"

Hermione stood and paced around in the small area, "No one knows how he got inside the castle... Both Professor Lupin and Buffy know him and were good friends with him at school... And Buffy didn't want anyone to know about any of it..."

Harry frowned, "What are you trying to say?"

She shrugged, "It's just a thought... But isn't it awfully convenient that just after Buffy showed up here, Sirius managed to get into the castle? What if... What if her and Professor Lupin have been planning this all along? They could have been helping Black get in here."

"I knew there was something off with them." Ron stated as he nodded in agreement.

Harry kept his eyes low on the ground, he was so confused. What Hermione was saying was right; Sirius didn't turn up at the castle until after Buffy had arrived, and both the siblings had agreed that they had been good friends with Sirius.

But then again, they had been friends with his parents too. And they had said they were there to protect him. Was it all lies? Were they silently planning his death behind his back, just as Sirius did to his parents?

Or were they just in the wrong place at the wrong time? He had noticed the saddened expressions on their faces whenever Black's name popped up... If they were really plotting behind Harry's back, if they were helping Black, why would they look that way?

He just didn't know...

Hermione interrupted his thoughts as she walked back into his line of vision. "I think we should talk to Professor Dumbledore about all of this. If we are right..."

"No, we cant." Harry said as he jumped back up in his seat, "He'll know that I went to Hogsmeade then, and he'll also know that I told you about Buffy's secret. I'm pretty sure he knows more about her than she even told me."

"How can you be sure?"

"Remember the day she appeared, he was the first person to get there, wasn't he? It's almost like he knew it was going to happen."

The three sighed as they stared at the floor, unsure of what to do. And then Hermione picked the map up from the table once more.

"I was wrong, Harry. You mustn't hand this over to the teachers, we're going to need to keep an eye on it ourselves, just to be sure before we take what we know to Dumbledore."

The three of them nodded together.


	13. The Marauders Strike Again

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 12: The Marauders Strike Again

Weeks turned into months and still Harry hadn't seen or heard anything at all suspicious on the map or from the Lupin siblings.

Sirius Black had seemingly disappeared, no one reported any sightings of him and life at Hogwarts was relatively normal once again.

Harry had taken to keeping the marauders map in his pocket, so that he could take it out during boring lessons and study it. He would always watch the headmaster as he paced up and down in his office, or Professor Lupin as he taught in his classroom. The only strange occurrences had been Remus' seemingly constant illness and Buffy's repeated visits into the Forbidden Forest, but of course it was not forbidden for teachers, and many now considered her as one. Still he wondered over her reasons for venturing into the forest, and so deep in that her real name often left the page completely.

He had also stopped going to his patronus lessons with the siblings, instead practicing the spell in his dormitory room when everyone else was out. He hadn't wanted to be around them any more than he had to; he just couldn't figure out whether he could trust them or not.

Briefly he wondered what they thought of the sudden distance he had put between them, but he always reminded himself that as far as they knew, the pair could be working with Sirius.

* * *

Buffy took in a deep breath of fresh air as she looked out over the castle grounds. It had been a while since she had been out in the open during the daytime and she had been looking forward to having a mid-afternoon run through the grounds. The castle was mostly quiet as it was the day of the Hogsmeade trip once again, and this time she had voted to staying behind.

The scenery around the castle was so beautiful no matter what time of day it was, and luckily it was quite sunny out too.

She started by stretching her legs out and then gently jogging past the lake, sticking to the sandy shores which were softer than the pathways or the grass.

Once she picked up a bit of a pace she alternated from running at full speed and then half speed until she had almost run the entire way around the grounds. Just as she came to Hagrid's hut she stopped short. The usually cheery giant was sitting, slumped against the steps to his hut, looking more miserable than she had ever seen him before.

She made her way over to him and stopped just in front of his form, planting her hands on her thighs to try and steady her breathing.

"Hey, Hagrid. What's up? Is there something wrong?" She said in between deep breaths.

He looked up and her face fell instantly at his sad expression. "It's Buckbeak. He lost the case..."

"Oh, Hagrid. I'm so sorry." Buffy crouched down so that she was sitting on the grass beside him. She had heard all about Buckbeak the hippogriff from her brother. It wasn't fair how the creature would be executed just because of a student that had gone against Hagrid's warnings.

She lightly patted his arm as he began sobbing, "He doesn't deserve it, he don't." He gestured over to a small pen that was not too far away, where the hippogriff in question was standing, it's wings flapping against the slight breeze.

"No, he really doesn't. He's a beautiful creature."

Hagrid nodded as he wiped his nose on a giant handkerchief. "I don't know what to do. How can I just sit here and wait for the execution date to come?"

Buffy sighed as her gaze drifted out to the horse-like creature again. "You make those last few days count then, Hagrid."

He nodded again, "Yeah, that's it. I'll make sure Buckbeak has a good time, I'll get him his favourite snacks and make sure he is happy up until that moment."

Buffy smiled encouragingly while they stood together and she was once again amazed by just how big the man was. He looked down at her with a saddened smile, "I really am glad you found your way back here, Buffy."

"Me too."

* * *

Remus was happily marking his latest pile of handed in homework when he came across Harry's essay. He read and then re-read the words, a frown playing on his face.

Harry had always said he enjoyed his DADA lessons, and he had always been pretty good at the subject too. But recently Remus had noticed how distracted he seemed in classes, he hardly ever contributed with the lesson and his homework was slowly getting worse and worse. It was as if he were giving up on the class entirely.

He had also noted how Harry ran off with his friends as soon as the class ended now, whereas before he would stay behind to learn more or just to talk with himself or Buffy. His distraction was concerning, and Remus couldn't think of anything that would have made this happen.

He was so busy musing over Harry's behaviour that he nearly missed when his fireplace sparked green all of a sudden. He heard the distinct voice of Severus Snape calling his name.

Remus sighed as he placed down his papers and stepped through the fireplace, emerging in Snape's office down in the dungeons. Severus and Harry were there, staring at each other as if they were wishing looks could kill.

"You called, Severus?"

"I certainly did," The potions professor said with an angry scowl, "I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this." He held out a piece of parchment that had a couple of sentences written across it in black ink.

A hundred memories forced their way past his vision, but Remus worked hard on keeping his face clear of any emotion as his eyes drifted to Harry and then back to the paper. How had he gotten that?

He took a closer look at the page and read the words that were written there:

_"Mr Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."_

"Mr Prongs agrees with Mr Moony and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."

"Mr Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor."

"Mr Wormtail bids Professor Snape a good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball."

He cleared his throat slightly to try and stop himself from laughing, but it only made Severus narrow his eyes in anger.

"This parchment is plainly full of dark magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?"

Remus shrugged with a small 'huh' sound, a habit he had obviously picked up from his sister as it was so unlike him. "I don't think it is dark magic, Severus. It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anyone who tries to read it. I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop?"

Harry nodded quickly, although Severus didn't look at all like he believed them. By the way he was glaring, Remus was sure that Severus knew exactly who it was that had created the piece of parchment.

"Oh, so you don't think he got it directly from the manufacturers?"

"You mean from one of these people?" Remus asked as he gestured to the names on the page. The very familiar names. "Harry, do you know any of these people?"

Harry shook his head immediately, "No, of course not."

Remus nodded, "Very well, I think this is all cleared up now then. It is obviously from a joke shop."

Severus almost growled, but nodded very slightly as Remus took the parchment from him and stashed it in his pocket. "I'll take this back then, shall I?"

He watched as the Slytherin teacher walked away, his cape fluttering after him. As soon as he had left the room Remus turned to Harry.

"I need to talk to you about this, Harry." He turned and gestured for the boy to follow.

"I... I got it from the joke shop, just like you said..." Harry said quickly as they walked.

Remus smiled to himself before he turned back to Harry. "No, you didn't. I happen to know this map was confiscated from a student some time ago." He saw Harry's eyes widen in surprise and nodded, "And yes, I know it is a map."

They didn't say another word until they reached the DADA classroom and Remus closed the door behind them with a light click.

Buffy looked up from her seat at the desk, her eyes instantly spotting the piece of parchment in her brother's hand.

"Remmy, is that..?"

He nodded with a sigh as he gestured for Harry to sit. "Severus found Harry with it."

She gave them both a confused look which was only answered with a sigh as Remus pulled out a chair next to Harry and sat with him.

"How did you get this, Harry?"

He squirmed in his chair, feeling a lot like he was being interrogated for something serious. And to make matters worse, he really didn't know what to tell them. Should he tell the truth? Would they get Fred and George in trouble if they knew the twins had taken it from Filch's office? And more importantly, if he let them take it would they use it to help Sirius like Hermione thought?

He sighed, looking at their concerned faces he knew he just had to tell them the truth.

"I got it from some other students, they showed it to me so that I could go to the Hogsmeade trip. How did you know what it was?"

"We've seen it before, we know exactly what it is."

"Harry, what was you doing out with it anyway? You must have been using it for Severus to find it." Buffy asked as she rose from her seat and walked closer.

Harry stilled, he had been out because he'd finally seen something strange. "I saw something on the map... I wanted to check it because I thought it was impossible."

The siblings were both eagerly awaiting for him to continue so he took a deep breath. "I saw the name Peter Petigrew on the map."

Both Buffy and Remus gasped before looking at each other.

"But that can't be right." Remus stated, "He died so long ago, Sirius killed him."

Buffy was shaking her head, "The map doesn't lie, remember? It can see straight through any charms or potions. If Harry saw it then it has to be true..."

They turned back to Harry quickly, "Are you sure it was Peter Petigrew? Maybe it was another Peter and you just mistook it for him."

"No, I'm certain. It was him. I was going to look for him but then Snape got in the way." He looked up to his teachers and saw how they both looked to be deep in thought, and for a moment he wished he knew what they were thinking.

Finally Remus looked up to him again. "Harry, I can't let you have the map back, it's dangerous. Plus it wouldn't do you any good if word got out that it had gone missing from Mr. Filch's office. You should go back to your room and get some sleep."

Harry sighed as he stood. He really didn't want them to keep the map, but it looked like he had no choice now.

As soon as he had left the room, Buffy took the map and inspected it closely. "Do you think he's right? Is it at all possible?"

"I don't know... Peter..."


	14. First Sighting

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

**A/N:** Another short chapter I'm afraid, but I wanted to end it here to set the scene for the next one :). Thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed.

Chapter 13: First Sighting

Buffy and Remus checked the map almost everyday and never saw any mention of their old friend for a whole week. They concluded that Harry had just seen someone else named Peter and had thought it was him. It was impossible for it to actually be the Peter that they had grown up with.

While Remus was busy marking yet more papers, Buffy excused herself to go down to Hagrid's hut, where she knew Buckbeak's execution was about to start.

Just as she had expected, Dumbledore was already there when she arrived and she was glad that Hagrid hadn't been left alone during the whole ordeal.

She reached the headmaster's side and nodded in greeting, the pair of them watching as Hagrid spent his last few moments with Buckbeak.

"This isn't fair." She stated glumly as she saw how upset Hagrid was.

"No, but the trial was there to make a decision, and this is the outcome. There is nothing either of us can do to change that. Let us go inside, we'll have to wait for the Ministry officials to come."

"So the actual Minister isn't coming?"

He shook his head with a smile, "No, not today. And even if he were, I doubt he would remember you."

"All right." Dumbledore opened the door to Hagrid's hut and walked inside with Buffy following. They sat in silence and waited, although she was sure she could hear whispering from just outside the back door.

It didn't take very long for the Ministry officials to arrive and for the various bits of paperwork to be filled out. Soon after the group were heading back outside where Buckbeak was waiting.

Buffy and Albus stood on either side of Hagrid, both of them there to give him some kind of comfort as the Ministry executioner took up his blade.

* * *

Remus let out a satisfied sigh as he finished reading the last essay and quickly graded it. A quick glance up at the clock told him that he still had at least five minutes until the execution started and he had wanted to get everything finished so that he could go down and be there for Hagrid too.

He rushed to pack everything away, scooping up papers and shoving them in the right piles, ready to be handed back out to the students whenever he next taught them.

As he moved a stack over to make more room his eyes landed on something that had been hidden underneath. The map.

He had left it open from the last time he had looked at it so the small names on the page were still moving around. He quickly found his sister, the headmaster and Hagrid's names up in the school grounds by the hut. If he hurried, he would still be able to make it there in time.

And then he stopped... Not far from their names, out by the Whomping Willow tree was the single name Peter Petrigrew.

He blinked a couple of times before he realised that the name was still there, not just a figment of his imagination. It couldn't be true... But as Buffy had reminded him before, the map didn't lie.

He stared at the name for a few more seconds until suddenly another name entered the area, a name that made Remus gasp.

Sirius Black.

Determination set on his features as Remus stood, making sure he had his wand in his jacket pocket before he rushed out the door and through the halls.

* * *

Buffy had left not long after the execution had taken place. She had stayed to offer Hagrid some company but he had kindly told her that he would be all right. Albus had stayed behind to help him so she was happy that the friendly giant would not be alone.

Her heart felt heavy as she walked through the halls, her mind replaying the scene. It was horrible that Buckbeak had had to go through it all just because of one student.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she entered the classroom, and found it empty. The door had been left wide open so obviously Remus had left in a hurry.

Now a little bit curious she walked over to his desk, noticing that he had finished his grading... So why would he be in such a hurry to leave?

And then she spotted the map laying open on the desk. He must've been looking at it, she thought as she studied it, hoping to find her brother's name. At least then she would know where he had gone off to.

But it wasn't her brother's name that she spotted first. It was Sirius' name, which seemed to be following Peter's name... And right behind them was Remus.

Snatching up the map she raced from the room and sped down the hall as quickly as she could, ignoring the protests from the various people she ran past. She had to find her brother, and fast.


	15. Padfoot's Return, Part 1

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 14: Padfoot's Return, part 1

Using the map as her guide, Buffy raced through the corridors and halls of the castle, skidding around corners as she made her way outside and into the school grounds.

The names Peter Petigrew, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had now left the page, but she had seen them disappear just beyond the Whomping Willow. There was no mistaking it, they had gone through the secret passageway and into the shrieking shack, the place that Remus used during the full moon.

What worried her more though, was that Harry, Ron and Hermione had been in the same area, and now their names had vanished too.

She glanced down at the map in her hand, but nothing had changed from the time she had last checked. As her eyes lifted, she gasped and skidded to a stop, barely inches from where Severus Snape stood, staring at her with a mixture of annoyance and confusion written on his face.

"What are you-"

"I don't have time to explain, I have to go." she said as she side stepped around him and prepared herself to begin running once more. But a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"What's so important that you are running through the school, nearly knocking people over?" He gave her a look which clearly told her he wanted answers, and he wanted them right now.

Buffy shook her head with a sigh, "I told you, I can't waste time explaining it. Just trust me. I have to go." With that she pulled her arm away from his grasp and sped off, running as fast as she could, not bothering to hide her slayer enhanced speed.

Minutes later she reached the Whomping Willow tree. As soon as she neared it the branches began twisting and turning, trying to stop her from getting any closer. She ducked one branch as it swung towards her and jumped over another that was aiming for her legs.

Once she reached the trunk she grabbed up the small broken branch that was laying on the ground and tapped the knot in the middle of the bark. At once the tree fell still, it's branches opening to reveal the hidden tunnel underneath.

She crawled inside and made her way along the narrow passage, eventually hearing the thud of wooden floorboards under her feet where the tunnel came out into the shack.

She could hear voices from upstairs, yells and screams, but couldn't tell who they were from. Without waiting a moment, she raced through the familiar building, quickly finding the stairs and taking them two at a time until she reached the top.

She knew what room they were in, she could hear their voices more clearly now.

With no hesitation she burst through the door, nearly taking it off its hinges in the process.

All eyes turned to her as she stormed into the room, her eyes instantly finding the cold, dead eyes of Sirius Black, before her fist had slammed into the side of his head and her free hand had grabbed him by the collar, slamming him into the wall.

The room was silent for a moment, and Buffy wasn't sure whether it was because of her sudden arrival or the show of her true strength, but either way she had shocked them all into silence. Sirius was staring at her with wide eyes, too shocked to say or do anything.

Remus came back to his senses first, and jumped forwards to grab his sister's arms. "No, Buffy."

He attempted to make her let go of their old friend, but of course she was much too strong for him to force her. "Buffy, let him go. We need to hear what he has to say."

With a sigh she let go of Sirius, but not before giving him a rough shove back into the wall. "Fine, have it your way." She stepped back ever so slightly, enough to let Remus move in but still being close enough to grab Sirius again if she needed to.

She took the moment to glance behind her at the students, who looked terrified, confused and angry all at the same time. Ron's leg looked like it might be broken and was sticking out at an unusual angle whereas Harry and Hermione were covered in dirt and bruises, but otherwise looked unharmed.

"Where is he, Sirius?"

Buffy brought her attention back to her brother and Sirius. She watched as Sirius' eyes flickered to her, as if he was afraid she would hit him again if he moved, before he slowly lifted his hand and pointed behind them, straight at Ron.

"But then... Why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless... Unless he was the one. You switched without telling me?"

Buffy frowned at her brother's words, what was he going on about? She chanced a glance back to the students, who looked just as confused as she felt... And then she spotted something.

Ron wasn't alone. He was holding onto something small and brown, with two black, beady eyes and a long tail. Her eyes narrowed at the pet rat that she could have sworn was looking at her with fear on its tiny face. As the rat struggled in Ron's grasp, Buffy's mind raced.

Peter Petigrew... His animagus form had always been the smallest of the Marauders, he'd loved being able to sneak around, so small that no one would pay him any attention. His animagus form had been a rat. There was no way that could be a coincidence.

Suddenly her brother's words made perfect sense to her. The secret keeper had been switched, from Sirius to Peter. So if the secret had gotten out, it would have been because of Peter, not Sirius.

She barely registered Sirius nodding, and Remus stepping forward to lend him a hand, helping him back up and embracing him like they used to when they had been children.

"But that would mean..." She trailed off as Sirius and Remus turned to her and her eyes locked with Sirius'.

He nodded once before he stepped towards her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, as if he were expecting her to fight him again. "It's really you? You came back, Isabella."

She couldn't move, her eyes could only focus on the sheer amount of emotion that was residing inside his own eyes. She could see his sadness from years of guilt and anger, and she could see the happiness shining through, happiness that she had found her way back home after all.

"Yes, it's me." Her words were mere whispers compared to the scream that followed from Hermione.

"I don't believe it! I knew there was something off about you right from the beginning, and all this time you've been helping him!" Remus held up his hands to stop her, but she turned on him just as quickly, "And you too! Of course you would be!"

"Hermione-"

"No, I covered for you. I haven't told anyone that I knew what you really are. I know you're a werewolf."

Once again silence filled the air. Remus took in a deep breath to steady himself while Buffy stepped forward.

"I guess it doesn't take a genius to figure out why you're always ill on the days of a full moon." She sent the young girl a glare, a silent threat. "But I don't see what that has to do with anything here."

Remus nodded, thankful that she had stepped in. "Harry, please just listen to us-"

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" Harry yelled as he pulled Hermione back, almost shielding her from the three adults in the room. "I trusted you, I trusted you both! Even when we realised all of the connections between you and _him_. And all this time, you've been his friend!"

Remus shook his head quickly, "You're wrong. I haven't been Sirius' friend in a long time, in fact this is the first time I have seen him in thirteen years, and it's been even longer for Buffy. Please let me explain." As the teenagers nodded slowly, Remus looked to his sister and friend before he continued on.

"I was looking at the map earlier today, when I noticed that you had sneaked out of the castle to see Hagrid. But I noticed that you wasn't alone. You had Peter Petigrew with you."

The three gasped and turned to look at one another in shock, "No, we didn't."

Buffy shook her head then. "No, Ron brought someone along with him." She gestured to his arms where the rat was still struggling, Ron's hands clenched around him so that he couldn't wriggle free.

"What's Scabbers got to do with it?" Ron asked as he looked down to his pet and back up again.

"Everything." Remus replied as he drew out his wand. "That's not a rat, that's a wizard. Peter Petigrew."

"But Petigrew is dead, he killed him ages ago." Harry stated as he pointed to Sirius.

Remus laughed, "But you said yourself, Harry, you saw his name on the map. The map doesn't ever lie, it can see through potions, charms, animagus, even invisibility cloaks."

"But Scabbers has been in my family for thirteen years!" Ron cried.

"He's been in hiding for thirteen years." Buffy countered quickly, growing bored of this argument.

Sirius cleared his throat from behind the siblings and everyone turned to him. "There is a way to show them, you know."

Remus nodded in agreement and together the pair took up their wands and pointed them towards Ron and Scabbers. A shot of blue light filled the room and Ron jumped back, expecting to be injured. But instead the rat in his arms began to swell and grow bigger and bigger until Ron had to drop him.

Slowly Scabbers transformed into a human, a short stubby man who held some resemblance to a rat even in his human form.

"Well hello, Peter. Long time no see."

"Sirius? Remus and Isabella? My old friends..."

Peter squirmed in his place as he suddenly had three wands pointed at him, and three pairs of very angry eyes staring down at him. He tried to inch his way towards the door, but was stopped as Buffy stepped in his path.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you."

"But... But he can't be Peter Petigrew. You killed him all those years ago, there were witnesses!" Harry said as he stared back and forth from Sirius and the rat-turned-wizard.

"I've never killed anyone, Harry." Sirius said quietly, "It was Peter here who killed all those innocent people, and then he faked his own death, cut off a finger so that everyone would think he had died in the blast."

Peter gasped before he stuttered, "I...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you do, Peter. After we switched over as the secret keeper you went straight to Voldemort and told him where James and Lily were! You betrayed them, your friends!"

"What was I supposed to do, Sirius? Voldemort-"

"You should have died! Died rather than betraying them, like we would have done for you!"

Peter shrunk down, looking even smaller than he actually was, his head still shaking in silent refusal.

Harry interrupted the silence as he stared at the man in front of him. Peter had just inadvertently confessed to being a supporter of Voldemort, and if that was true, why wouldn't the rest? "So it's all true then?"

"Believe me, Harry." Sirius pleaded, "I never betrayed James and Lily. And ever since I got out of Azkaban I've been searching for the real betrayer."

He nodded back to the older man, despite everything that had happened, he did believe him. He realised now, he wasn't the only one that had been tricked, and it had never been down to Sirius. Harry's eyes drew back to Peter...

"So, what are we to do with you, Peter?" The man in question looked up to Remus with fear in his eyes.

"He deserves to die, like he should have before." Sirius growled.

Remus nodded in agreement while Buffy's mouth fell open. She agreed that he needed to pay for what he had done, but to actually kill him? No matter what he had done, he was still human.

"No, you wouldn't do that!" Peter cried as he sunk even lower to the ground. "We were friends, you wouldn't kill me!"

"I wouldn't be too sure, Peter."

Buffy shook her head and stared at her brother and old friend, "Isn't there another way?"

Instantly Peter was at her feet, staring up at her as if she were his last hope. "I knew you were a good friend, Isabella! You wouldn't let them kill me, would you?"

With a noise of disgust she stepped back, pushing Peter away from her until he fell backwards to the floor. "Don't get your hopes up, Peter, I was only suggesting a different way to give you what you deserve." At the questioning looks she received, she continued on. "I say we don't kill him, he should suffer like Sirius has for all these years."

Harry nodded along with her, "Yes, of course! With Peter here now, we can prove that he was behind the murders. We can prove that you are innocent!" He told Sirius with a genuine smile. "But we'll need him alive for that."

"He's right. The dementors can have him." Remus said, his eyes silently questioning Sirius, asking if he agreed or not. Eventually Sirius nodded, and Peter was hauled to his feet once more.

"Let's go, the dementors are waiting."


	16. Padfoot's Return, Part 2

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 15: Padfoot's Return, part 2

By the time they stepped back out into the open air the sky had already grown dark and a cold chill had swept across the ground.

The silence of the night was interrupted by Peter's yells as he was dragged along by Remus, who had tied the wizards hands with rope. Buffy and Hermione were supporting Ron as he tried to wobble on his injured leg while Sirius walked in front with Harry.

Buffy smiled to herself as she watched Harry and Sirius talking quietly together. Everyone knew the pair would need some time to talk alone so they had left them to it without interrupting, even though Buffy could still hear every word.

After a few minutes, Harry nodded to his godfather and began walking back to the main group. He stepped up to Buffy with a smile and gestured to Ron, who she was holding up.

"I'll take over now, if you want?"

She said her thanks and switched places, making sure that Harry was supporting Ron before she turned around. Sirius was watching her, and with a nod he gestured for her to go over to him.

Peter was still yelling as she stepped up next to her old friend who was now looking out over the castle in the distance.

"I'm sorry, Isabella."

She turned her head in confusion, staring at him with a frown. "Okay, my name is Buffy now, and why? You haven't done anything wrong..."

After taking a long sigh he turned to face her, "I stopped looking for you, I gave up hope that you would ever return. And now you're back... I'm sorry you had to return to all of this."

"No, I... I don't blame you for giving up, Sirius. It had been fifteen years after all, no one even knew where I was or if I was alive. I can't fault you for that. And besides, I'm the one that should be apologising. I really thought you had done all those horrible things, I... I think I even hated you."

He laughed quietly, which was a strange sound coming from him considering everything that he had been through. "Yes, I think I got that when you attacked me earlier."

"Oh, and I'm sorry about that too."

"Don't worry about it, I understand. Though I have to say I was surprised at how strong you are..?"

"Oh that... I just work out a lot." She lied quickly, waving the question away with a wave of her hand. "So what are you going to do now? Once we've proven you're innocent, I mean."

"I really don't know. I suppose I'll just go back home and try to start over with my life. I invited Harry over to stay too, I hate that he's been alone all these long years. I might not have killed James and Lily, or even given away their position, but I still suggested the swap, it was my fault Peter ever found out."

"You shouldn't blame yourself for Peter's mistakes. You had no way of knowing what he would do."

Silence filled the air for a few moments before more shouts came from Peter as he begged them to let him go.

"It's strange, isn't it? Being back here at Hogwarts after so long."

She nodded, "I think I'm getting used to it, this place has been home for a while now."

"Well, what do we have here?"

Everyone turned at the new voice that had joined them, and Buffy groaned as Severus Snape stepped out from the shadows, holding his wand firmly in his hand.

"No wonder you were in such a hurry earlier, Buffy. You were trying to help Black escape."

"What? No, you have it all wrong, Severus." She said in reply, not liking how easily he jumped to conclusions. "We were just-"

"I don't want to hear any excuses, I knew you two were involved in this somehow, there was just too many unanswered questions. I won't let you get away with this."

Remus stepped forward, dragging Peter with him, "Severus, this isn't-" He stopped short so suddenly that everyone turned their attention to him. He was staring up into the air with a look of pure horror on his face, staring up at the full moon that hung in the night's sky.

And suddenly the calm silence of the night turned into chaotic screaming.

Remus doubled over in pain as he felt his inner-wolf starting to fight for freedom, Peter slipping from his hands as he did so. As Buffy and Sirius rushed forwards, Harry dropped Ron's arm and chased after Peter, who was trying to scramble backwards, away from the group.

"Remus! You have to fight it, you can, I know you can!" Buffy cried as she reached her brothers side and took his hand, hoping that her presence would help him in some way.

"He didn't take the potion?" Severus yelled as he levelled his wand at the changing man in front of him, but before he could even mutter a spell Buffy had stepped in front of him with a dark glare in her eyes.

"No way, you are not hurting him."

"Get out of the way, Buffy. He has to be stopped, he's just a monster."

Behind her, Remus' transformation began, his face growing into one of a wolf, his body extending and his limbs growing in length.

Sirius grabbed Buffy by the arm and dragged her backwards, just as Remus threw back his head and let out a long howl. The werewolf lunged forwards, barging straight into Severus who crumpled to the ground, unconscious from the blow.

"Harry!" Sirius' eyes found those of his godsons, "Get away from here! Go!"

Harry nodded and gestured for his friends to follow him as they ran as fast as they could, dragging a stunned Peter with them.

"Sirius, you go too! I'll handle this." Buffy called as she pushed him away, towards the teenagers who were still running in the distance.

"I'm not leaving you here!"

Remus turned on them then, snarling and growling. Buffy watched as he readied himself and pounced forwards, landing hard on the ground after the both of them had stepped out of his way.

When he attacked again she dodged and ducked, using her legs to kick him away without causing too much harm.

"This isn't working, we need to get him away from here." Sirius called from his place on the floor, having fallen down while ducking an attack from the werewolf.

Before Buffy could say anything Sirius had disappeared in a flash, and a big, black dog was in his place. She could only watch in shock as the dog lunged for Remus, getting his attention before running away in the opposite direction to the castle.

Remus followed without hesitation, and Buffy was forced to watch as he sped off after Sirius.

With a cry, she rushed after them, using her good hearing to help guide her. She followed the sounds of howling and panting until eventually she stopped at the foot of the lake, her feet skidding in the sand.

Remus was looming over Sirius, who had changed back into his human form and was laying on the ground, completely still.

"No, Remus!" Her sudden voice startled the werewolf enough that he stepped away from Sirius and turned to face her instead.

She readied herself into a fighting stance, but it wasn't needed. Remus let out a low growl before he turned and ran in the opposite direction, disappearing into the distance within a few seconds.

Buffy had no idea why he had run instead of facing her, but she didn't really care right now. Harry and the others would have made it back to the school by now, so her and Sirius would be the only ones outside, the only ones that Remus could hurt.

She rushed over to her old friend, taking in his battered appearance as she knelt beside him and checked his breathing. He was still alive, just not awake.

A cold wind blew across the lake as she pulled Sirius onto her lap to try and wake him. "Come on, Sirius. Wake up. We need to get back to the castle, remember?"

A crackling noise caught her attention, and she looked out over the lake with her mouth slightly open in surprise. The lake was freezing over, a dusting of frost seeping across the ground towards them.

Within seconds a floating, hooded figure appeared before them, followed by another and another. She was slowly being surrounded by the dementors.

Sirius shifted and awoke with a gasp, his eyes wildly searching around them as the dementors closed in, their skeleton like hands reaching out.

Buffy gasped as their power reached her, and all her good memories and thoughts were stripped away leaving just the darker ones. A feeling of despair washed over her as she watched the dementors float closer, one of them leaning down over Sirius.

She grabbed for her wand, but her movements were slowed by the numbing cold spreading over her body. She was too lost to stop the dementors kiss... She would be too late...

Suddenly a bright blue light flashed around them, a silver bird flew into the area and charged at the dementors, who fled instantly. When the light had faded, Buffy looked up to see a familiar figure walking towards them, the phoenix patronus slowly floating down to their side.

Dumbledore had come.


	17. Captured

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

**A/N:** Since I have the rest of the chapters for this story already written and completed, I'm gonna go ahead and post them all up. Not many left to go now. I hope you are all still enjoying this story! :)

Chapter 16: Captured

Buffy sighed as she paced up and down in the headmaster's office for the third time that evening.

After Dumbledore had saved her from the dementors, stopped them from sucking out Sirius' soul and taken Ron and Severus to the hospital wing the group had arrived in the office, apart from Sirius and Peter who had been locked up in the dungeons as a safety precaution.

They had been there for over an hour now while trying to explain everything that had happened and everything they had realised that night.

To her own surprise, Dumbledore had been more than accepting of what they had told him, and they hadn't even needed to present him with much evidence either.

But the one thing they had all agreed on was that it was not up to Dumbledore whether Sirius should be freed or not. As soon as he was able to, he had used his portraits to call the Minister of Magic. And now they were waiting for him to arrive.

Harry was talking quietly with Hermione while Dumbledore was scribbling something on some parchment at his desk. After another few laps of the room, he lifted his head to stare at Buffy with a small smile.

"You shouldn't worry so much, Ms Summers. It'll all work out just fine."

She nodded back, although she wasn't quite as optimistic as the headmaster. He had assured her that Remus would be fine out in the school grounds on his own, but she couldn't help the worry that plagued her. And on top of that she was getting more and more anxious about the Minister's visit with every passing second.

A green flash of light filled the room before the fire crackled, and a figure stepped out of the fireplace. At once everyone stood to attention and looked up to the newcomer.

Minister Fudge stepped down and dusted off his striped suit and bright red tie before looking around the room at the various people who were staring at him.

Buffy coughed to herself to stop the laugh that was trying to make its way out of her throat. She suddenly felt rather glad that she had spent half of her life as a Californian girl, at least she would never end up dressing as badly as that.

"Cornelius Fudge, I'm glad you could make it on such short notice." Dumbledore said as he walked over to the Minister and shook his hand with a friendly smile.

"Of course, Albus, you said it was important." He looked around the room once more, his eyes taking in the students and then Buffy. "I don't think we've met..."

"Ah, yes I don't believe you have." Dumbledore said with a smile as he stepped in between the Minister and the slayer. "Cornelius Fudge, this is Buffy Summers, she's been helping out at the school."

"It's nice to meet you." She said as she held out her hand and let the man take it. He nodded and she averted her eyes, staring at the ground as she took a step back. She didn't like the idea of being around this man for any longer than she had to, she couldn't risk that he would recognise her for who she really was.

"And it's good to see you again, young Mr. Potter. And..."

"Harry's friend, Hermione Granger." Dumbledore filled in quickly.

"Very well, so what is so important that you called me here directly?"

Everyone seemed to look at one another, as if no one really knew where to begin. Eventually it was Dumbledore who cleared his throat and began explaining everything.

"We have captured Sirius Black... And Peter Petigrew." The Minister opened his mouth to comment but was interrupted quickly, "Though things are not as you might expect."

"What do you mean, Albus?"

Harry stood up from his seat, his legs pushing his chair back as he did. "Sirius is innocent! He was set up by Peter Petigrew! He's the one you want."

Cornelius shook his head, "I'm sorry, what? Sirius Black is a mass-murderer, Harry, he killed all those people, those innocent people."

"You're wrong. Peter Petigrew killed them, he made it look like it had been Sirius."

Buffy sighed as she leant back onto Dumbledore's desk. "Arguing about this is not going to get us anywhere. We need to start from the beginning."

"Yes, a good idea." Albus said as he clapped his hands together, "Cornelius, Sirius Black was never the Potter's secret keeper, he switched with their other friend, Peter. It was he who betrayed the Potters and gave away their location."

"And I suppose Black told you this?"

"Yes, he did. And we all believe him." Buffy answered, glaring at the minister.

Dumbledore continued on with his tale before Cornelius could reply or Buffy and Harry could object. "Peter Petigrew was a spy for Voldemort. After Voldemort had been defeated by Harry, he knew he would be hunted by the remaining death eaters, it was his fault their master was gone after all. He cut off a finger and faked his own death, killing innocent muggles in the process. Sirius Black, who had done nothing wrong, was framed and arrested. And all that was ever found of Peter was his finger. It was assumed he had died in the blast."

"Yes, I remember that. But that doesn't prove anything."

"Peter used his animagus form, a rat, to hide. He posed as a pet in a wizard family, always ready to run if he ever heard news of Voldemort or his followers. He was hiding for thirteen years. And then Sirius broke out of Azkaban, intent on finding the real murderer."

"You mean to tell me that Black escaped just to find Peter? That is ridiculous, he used dark magic to fool the dementors and escape-"

"Why do you think the dementors never affected him as much as the other people in the prison?" Buffy demanded, she was quickly growing angry at the minister for dismissing the truth so quickly. "It's because he was innocent all along. The dementors couldn't touch that part of him deep down inside because he knew he was innocent."

"That makes no sense." Cornelius said while holding his hands up, refusing to accept what she was saying.

"It makes perfect sense!" Harry yelled, obviously getting just as annoyed as Buffy was. "Peter is here now, we found him. He is alive, missing a finger and he pretty much told us that he was the real murderer. You can go see him yourself and ask him if you want, but it's the truth!"

The minister stalled, as if he had heard what they were saying for the first time since walking into the room. He looked from Harry to Buffy and then to Dumbledore, who nodded his agreement. Finally, the minister nodded, tipping his green bowler hat forward until it almost slipped off his head.

"If it is true... I can't just announce that he is innocent, not just by your stories. There would need to be a trial, an investigation... Sirius and Peter will need to stay locked up until a further decision can be made."

"That is all we can ask for." Dumbledore said with a smile as he gestured to the door. Buffy took the hint and nodded to Harry and Hermione who both followed her outside.

As soon as they left the room and the office door closed behind them, Harry looked up to Buffy with a look of hope etched on his face.

"They'll realise he's innocent, won't they?"

She nodded, "Of course, he has nothing to hide. It might take some time, but he'll be free. And if not, well he escaped once, I'm sure he could do it again. Come on, lets go see him."

Harry nodded back and the three made their way through the empty corridors, stopping at the hospital wing so that Hermione could check on Ron before Harry and Buffy went to the Dungeons.

Sirius and Peter had been put in separate cells a long distance from each other so that they wouldn't be able to communicate or see one another. Immediately the pair made their way to Sirius' cell where they stopped and waited for him to look up.

He still looked bruised and battered from the fight with Remus, but some colour had come back into his face and he looked a lot better than he had when they had first found him.

"You're back? So, is it good news or bad?" He asked as he got to his feet and walked to the metal bars that lined the cell.

Harry was almost bouncing on the spot as he grinned, "The minister has agreed to give you a fair trial. They're going to re-investigate everything."

"It means you have to stay in here for a bit longer," Buffy added at Sirius' confused look, "but with Peter here and alive, they will have to believe you."

Finally Sirius gave them a true smile which they couldn't help but copy. It was good to finally know the truth, and to know that Sirius could be happy again after such a long time.

"That's wonderful news!" Sirius laughed as he slipped his arms through the cell bars and grabbed Harry's hands. "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you, Harry. All of you."

"I'm just glad it worked out all right." Harry nodded, "And I can't wait to come and live with you during the summer."

Sirius' face fell slightly, "Ah, I suppose we should hold off on that until I get the all clear, Harry. I don't want to get your hopes up just yet."

"There's no way they can dismiss evidence like this." Buffy said with a smile, "You'll be free in no time."

With a last look she stepped back, leaving Harry with his godfather. "Now I suppose I should go, I have an AWOL brother to find after all."


	18. The Replacement

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 17: The Replacement

It was the end of the school year and like always the students were excited and happy to be going back home to their families.

Unusually, Harry felt happy about leaving too. Because this year he knew he would only be spending two weeks with his dreaded aunt and uncle. Then he would spend some time with Ron and his family before finding out about the outcome of Sirius' trial. Then he would either go to live with his godfather, or he'd stay with the Weasleys until it was time to go back to school. He was sure this summer would be the best yet.

Buffy hummed to herself as she stepped into the classroom, carrying a load of books that she had borrowed from her brother earlier on in the year. Remus was standing just behind his desk, stuffing things into an old duffel bag. He looked up at her entrance, looking slightly guilty.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she stepped closer and placed the books on the table. "Are you packing?"

He sighed as he stood up straight, "Yes, Buffy. I've handed in my resignation. I'm leaving Hogwarts."

"What?!" She couldn't help the shriek that left her throat, it was the last thing she had been expecting him to say. "You quit? But you love teaching here!"

"Yes, I do. But I have to leave. I am too dangerous to be here around the children."

"What?" she sighed as she walked around the desk to face him properly. "You mean because you're a werewolf? Remmy, no one thinks that. Dumbledore wouldn't have let you come here in the first place if he thought that you were dangerous to anyone!"

"But I think I proved him wrong the other night. Buffy, I was so focused on Sirius and Peter that I put everyone in danger, I put you in danger. I won't risk doing that again." He argued while he continued to put things in his bag.

"No, but it all worked out in the end, right? You didn't hurt anyone."

"It's only a matter of time. And besides, word will get out about it and no parent would want their child being taught by a monster."

"This is ridiculous! You're not a monster, how many times do I have to tell you that?" She growled as she stormed up and down the classroom and back again. "Something happened to you that wasn't your fault, how can anyone blame you for that? And Dumbledore was perfectly happy to have you here, that wouldn't change now and you know it!"

"Yes, I do know. He asked me to stay himself, but this is something I have to do, Buffy. I won't make him or anyone else take risks for me anymore."

"But-"

"I've made up my mind, Buffy, you won't change it now." He said with a sad smile, and she stopped her pacing to look him in the eyes. What she saw there stopped the argument that was trying to get out. He was sad to be leaving, that was true, but she could see just how important this was to him. And that meant that it was important to her too. She stepped up to her brother and pulled him to her in a tight embrace, letting him rest his head on her shoulder even though it meant he was crouched down slightly.

"You're not a monster, you know that right?" She whispered, almost afraid of his answer.

He stayed quiet for a moment before finally he sighed, "I know..."

She pulled away from him then, and looked up at him with a smile. "Okay, so where are we going now then?"

"Huh?"

"Well, Dumbledore only said I could stay here while you were here too. If you're leaving then I'm coming with you. Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily? I think I'm insulted."

She expected him to laugh but he only shook his head. "No, you're not coming with me." He held up his hand to stall her argument, "You're staying here. Or at least you're coming back here after the holidays. Dumbledore wants you to take over as the new DADA professor."

"What?" Her eyes widened in surprise. Her a professor? Sure she had loved being in the classroom and helping out, but she couldn't do it all on her own, could she? "I don't... I can't. I want to be with you, Remmy. We've lost so much time..."

He laughed at her stubbornness as he took her hands and forced her to face him. "Buffy, Dumbledore believes in you or he would never have suggested it. And I know you can do it, you loved teaching here as much as I did."

"But what about me being..." She glanced around the room quickly before whispering her next words, "...the Slayer? I'm as much of a threat to everyone here as you are. And if word of that got out, I would be in the exact same position as you!"

"Your secret is easier to cover, Buffy. No one has to ever find out. And you can't use the argument of being apart from me. We would still be able to talk all the time, and you'd have a fireplace in your office so I could visit whenever I wanted. You wouldn't be alone."

"And where would you go?" She said, "We don't have a home anymore, right?"

"I've already sorted that. I'm going to stay with Sirius once the trial is over, his home is still there. And you'll be coming too, remember, just not staying after school starts up again."

"Are you sure about this, Remmy? What are you going to do about a job? You can't live for free, you know."

"I'll figure something out." He said with a smile. "I'll go to Gringotts and see what I have left there until I can find something."

She raised an eyebrow at him which made him pause. "My vault hasn't been opened in fifteen years, right?" He nodded, although he didn't seem to understand what she was implying. "... Remmy, I've not taken anything out of it since I was a kid, just think of all the interest I'd have earned."

"But that's your money, Buffy. If you had never left you would have used it."

"I don't care. I'm apparently not the one needing a job here. You take it."

"Buffy, I..."

"Hey!" The pair looked to the door where Harry stood, his hand on the door as if he was about to knock. "Oh, sorry, I can come back later if you want, it's not important."

They smiled down to him as they shook their heads, "No, of course not, Harry."

"I just wanted to thank you both before I left the school. For everything, for helping me find out the truth even when I doubted you." He looked ashamed of himself but Buffy jumped forward and pulled him into a hug.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. We understood." Then suddenly she pulled back and looked to Remus, "Ah, I guess I shouldn't go around hugging the kids anymore, huh?"

Remus laughed while Harry only stared at her in confusion. Then his eyes spotted the bag on the table.

"You're leaving aren't you?"

"Yes, I am, my time at Hogwarts is over. But this isn't the last time you'll see us, I'm sure."

"I'm glad. I can't imagine school without you two, what ever will I do?" Harry laughed, missing the looks passed between the siblings.

"Stay out of trouble, perhaps?" Buffy said as she reached out and messed up his hair.


	19. Family

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

Chapter 18: Family

Harry grinned to himself as he raced up the many stairs of the Burrow and into his and Ron's joint room, clutching the letter in his hand as if his very life depended on it.

As soon as the door was closed behind him and he was all alone he ripped open the envelope and tugged out the piece of parchment that was inside.

His eyes eagerly read the neatly written letters on the page.

__

Harry,

The trial is over and I am officially a free man. Peter was found guilty of committing murder, being a death eater and being an unregistered animagus. He was sent to Azkaban with a life sentence so we shouldn't be hearing from him again any time soon.

Minister Fudge gave me a full pardon and even apologised for making such a big mistake, although I'm sure it was only for show. I can see it in his eyes, he still doesn't entirely trust me. Then again, I suppose I haven't been totally honest with him, no one has figured out how I escaped from Azkaban yet...

I'm finally all moved back into my parents' old house. It's taken some time and a lot of work but between myself, Moony and Buffy (I will never get used to calling her that...) we've managed to get everything back up to scratch and ready for your arrival. You do still want to come, right?

I hope so, it has been a long time since either of us have had some real happiness in our lives. But neither of us are alone now.

Remus and Buffy have helped a lot with that, in a way I feel like I am just a kid again when I'm around them. They are like the family I never had. I only wish the rest of our 'family', and that includes you of course, were here to share these memories with us. I guess they are watching really, just from above us.

I hope you (and all the Weasleys) are well, and the three of us are all looking forward to seeing you again soon. Stay safe and happy, Harry.

Sirius


	20. The End

**FOUND**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Btvs or Hp, both belong to their respective owners and I am not making any profit from this fic.

**A/N**: So here it is, the final chapter. Think of this one as a short teaser for the sequel I'm planning :). I hope you have all enjoyed reading this fic as much as I have enjoyed writing it and I hope you'll all be listening out for the next part in the series. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers.

**EDIT:** So I did originally have a link to the sequel **The Return** on here, but it didn't want to work for some reason :(, so if you'd like to read more from this series, then hop on over to my profile where you can find the next installment! See you there!

* * *

Chapter 19: The End?

The light of the moon shone down over the small wooded area, casting moving shadows across the ground as a lone cloaked figure walked through the trees.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, he reached his destination. In the middle of the trees stood a small brick house, abandoned years ago by its owners.

The door was already half open, its hinges rotten and covered in cobwebs. The man stepped inside without hesitation, walking through the dark rooms until he was stopped by another figure, hidden in the shadows.

The man let down his hood and pulled away his cloak, revealing a perfectly smooth grey pinstriped suit, shinning black shoes and a navy tie.

"The decision?" The figure in the shadows asked, his voice low.

The man fiddled with his cuff links in a nervous gesture while he spoke. "Black was freed."

"And Wormtail?"

He shook his head in reply, "Taken to Azkaban."

The dark figure laughed quietly, a maniacal laugh that brought a shiver running down the spine of his guest. "Wormtail was a traitor, he deserves his fate... But no matter, we don't need him for our plan to work."

"Then you mean to continue with it?"

"Yes." He could almost hear the grin on the other man's face even if he couldn't see it. "I will not fail. Lord Voldemort will rise again and it shall be by my hand."

The man slowly stepped out from the shadows and into the path of the light from the window. His wand arm rose upwards, showing the snake-like tattoo that was branded onto his arm.

He was grinning like a cat as he pointed his wand at his guest. "I'm sorry, Ray. I truly am... But you're more use to me dead than alive." A shout filled the room, followed by a green flash of light... And the man in the pinstriped suit crumpled to the ground.

"It is time, Master. Let's show them what true darkness is."


End file.
